CTO specialists speed up clearances

KEVIN MAYHEW
IT TOOK years of stamping CTOs operating out of – appropriately enough – a container in the back of a depot for Nadeem Atcha to make his mark in the clearing and forwarding and transport sectors with his company Freight Incorporated.
Bayhead-based Freight Incorporated is a service provider to the intermodal industry. Its primary focus is ensuring that, for a fee, Container Terminal Orders (CTOs) get the fastest clearance possible, explains Atcha.
While working in London, Atcha was impressed by the efficiencies of shipping documentation processing. On his return to South Africa he was struck by the reverse .
“In South Africa CTO clearances are a nightmare and we focus on using knowledge within the port, of processes, technology and plain personal intervention to get clearances for containers in order to reduce down time on the containers for export and import,” he explains.
Already they have written their own dedicated computer programme which enables CTOs to be processed in the least time possible. “It’s often not realised the amount of work that goes into the processing of a CTO, given that it’s the most important document required for the physical operation of import and export containers.
“Your export CTO, for instance, determines where your container gets shipped to regardless of what your booking with the line states, so attention to detail is paramount.”
If required Freight Incorporated will arrange for hauliers it contracts to transport cargo to or from any destination within the country with constant tracking and updates. “It’s knowing that their cargo is in good hands that gives our customers peace of mind, and peace of mind is what we offer.”
With just seven staff, business is booming and they are expanding premises, he concludes.