CCC acquisition furthers Grindrod’s integration goals

ALAN PEAT THE BIG news at Cross Country Containers (CCC) is that it now fits into the large regional cargo movement network of the Grindrod group – following its acquisition for an undisclosed price. It was previously owned by P & O Nedlloyd and more recently taken over by APM Maersk when it bought the line. CCC manages and controls the movement of containers by road and rail in southern Africa, and it furthers Grindrod’s strategy of expanding the group’s business base into landbased operations, according to the group director, Laurence Stuart-Hill. “We continue to seek good investment opportunities that link the services required to move cargo from A to Z,” he said, “providing our customer base with a one-stop solution in the movement of freight.” He said that the acquisition of CCC added a further dimension to Grindrod’s aim of providing an integrated service for the movement of freight by containers – with the group already owning the likes of the container depot operation, CMC Grindrod, freight bases and container pack/unpack facilities and, in partnership with Safmarine, the regional sea carrier Ocean Africa Container Lines. Although too early to talk specifics, Stuart-Hill told FTW that there’s a lot of opportunity to back CCC into the Grindrod activities, and to add to the group’s container movement function. This takeover can be expected to add muscle to the road and rail cargo movement activities at CCC, according to MD, Richard Foulds.