Containerised demand will dominate

Despite the recent slowing down of growth on certain shipping trades, demand for containerised goods worldwide continues to grow, according to Philippe Fozzani, MD of CMA-CGM Shipping Agency in South Africa. “This,” he told FTW, “is being fuelled by dynamic growth rates in certain regions of the world – like South America, West Africa and the Middle East.” Over the years, Fozzani added, container shipping has become a sustainable industry. “The CMA-CGM group is confident that it will continue to develop at a steady pace in the years to come, as more and more cargo originally transported by other means of transport (like bulk and refrigerated ships) switches to the box, drawn by its high flexibility and universality.” Fozzani pointed out that one of the many advantages of container shipping was that it allowed the transport of goods directly from the point-of-production to the place of consumption without break of load. “Hence,” he said, “the decision by the CMA-CGM group to capitalise on this aspect of the industry by investing in new intermodal solutions – including rail, inland waterway and road transport – to provide customers with a global door to door service.” To meet the challenges of the industry CMA-CGM has also invested in a state-ofthe- art fleet. “This will be a major asset to increase our competitiveness and seize future opportunities in the market,” Fozzani told FTW.