Cargo Carriers gains a foothold in Namibia with R36m deal

SPECIALIST TRANSPORT and logistics company Cargo Carriers has gained a strong foothold in the Namibian market thanks to a R36m contract with Namdeb Diamond Corporation (Namdeb) for the transport of petroleum into the diamondrich Sperregebied area. That’s according to the company’s chemical and fuel business unit general manager, Bennie Barnard. Namdeb recently signed a contract with Cargo Carriers worth an estimated R12 million per year over a three-year period, is essentially a renewal of the contract already in place with Namdeb. “We will be running 35 million litres of petrol and diesel into areas like Oranjemund and Daberas,” said Barnard, “using six new vehicle combinations, Mercedes Benz trucks with tri-axle trailers in this new operation.” The route runs across the diamond dusted desert for 200km on dirt roads. Barnard sees their role as a bridging one, moving petroleum to bulk storage facilities where Namdeb mining operations will draw on it at will. To prevent diamond theft, drivers will be subject to rigorous control both before and after passage through the 26 564 km² Sperregebied area that bears one of the world’s richest diamond lodes. “For now the unit will be managed from the office in Cape Town but the operating staff and office will be based in Namibia, reporting into Cape Town,” said Barnard. Last year Cargo Carriers was once again endorsed by the Chemical and Allied Industries Association (CAIA) for pledging to promote employee health and safety and to uphold environmental safety. "In line with this undertaking, the company is involved in ongoing product and driver training in the highly specialised chemicals business." says Barnard.