Cape Town depot operator reports healthy volumes

THE STATE of the container depot industry in the Cape Town area is healthy with volumes on the increase, says Paul Bottomley, owner of Koeker Container Depot in Salt River.
He has his eyes at present on the old power station in the adjacent suburb of Woodstock which, he says, should be developed into a large container depot to fit into the improving Western Cape economy.
Putting it out to tender would give various local container handling services the opportunity to enjoy a new facility, rather than letting it be absorbed by international operators, he says. There are already seven container depots in the Cape Town region, but business is sufficient to accommodate them all, says Bottomley.
With storage capacity for 2000 20-foot containers, his Koeker Container depot has developed a large client base of local and international shippers, with the main markets those along the African West Coast, stretching from Angola to Democratic Republic of Congo and Nigeria.
The company has its own rail siding, capable of handling 500 TEUs a day, with shunting services into the Port of Cape Town. The bulk of BottomleyÕs business, 80% in fact, lies in the provision of depot services, storage, maintenance and repairs, conversions and sales, with the balance in hire-lease agreements.