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.