DAL develops four-car-per-container option

The containerised exports
of FBU cars could be a
“win-win” solution for all,
says Dave Kirkman, branch
manager of DAL in East
London.
DAL opened an office
in East London last year
to service the market in
the Eastern Cape and
to manage a weekly
feeder service offered by
OACL. The line deploys a
dedicated geared 750-TEU
vessel between the ports
of East London and Port
Elizabeth which matches
the arrival dates of the
Saecs core service into Port
Elizabeth.
Volumes have been
growing on this service,
which is a joint feeder
operation by Safmarine,
Maersk, MOL and DAL,
according to Kirkman.
He said DAL, together
with its partner lines and
Kartainer International,
had developed a system for
securely packing four cars
into a container.
For OEMs, the advantage
is a weekly frequency, with
a “significant reduction” in
damages and pilferage from
vehicles when packed into
containers.
Another problem this
solves is the evacuation of
empty containers. Greater
utilisation of the container
terminal will also give
Transnet a business case
for further investing in
the East London Port.
Looking at the bigger
picture, it will make a
contribution to job creation,
as the packing of cars
into containers is more
labour intensive than the
specialised car carrier/ro-ro
option.