Buoyant market creates demand for wide range of boxes

‘Shipper-owned units are the most cost-efficient solution’ ALAN PEAT THERE IS a rapidly growing demand in the buoyant project cargo market for shipper-owned containers, according to a recent market survey by Barron Charsley, director of the major container supply and conversion specialists, Container World. “With the significant increase in the price of commodities,” he said, “SA mining houses are stepping up their exploration in Africa – with new mining and drilling sites springing up all over the continent.” This has created a burgeoning market for the supply of a wide range of containers – units that are vitally necessary for the movement of parts, equipment and materials to many of these rather remote sites. “With the containers usually also destined to remain permanently onsite, for storage or workshop purposes, for example,” said Charsley, “shipperowned units are the most cost-efficient answers.” In recent years, Container World has supplied containers for the shipment of project cargoes into Mozambique, Madagascar, Nigeria, Angola and Uganda. “It generally tends to be clearing and forwarding (c&f) companies which are focused on the movement of these cargoes,” said Charsley, “and they tend to be our clients – not the end users.” And to meet this demand, he added, Container World has a good supply of quality containers – open tops, flat racks, high cube and general purpose (GP) units. “Given the current healthy market conditions, we have to have a sufficient stock of containers available to satisfy the space demands of just about any project,” said Charsley.