Dar competes with ‘expensive’ Durban

Kevin Mayhew THE TANZANIAN port of Dar es Salaam is fast becoming competition for Durban thanks to the effects of the strong rand and port surcharges that were introduced, according to the general manager for Maersk Zambia in Lusaka, Henrik Mauritsen. Maersk Zambia – which handles only containers – brings to Zambia two strong brand names in world freight and shipping. It handles local documentation, customer service and the like for Safmarine and the largest international intermodal transporter, Maersk Sealand. These are the only shipping lines represented by own offices in Zambia. The competition is represented by an agent in the country, according to Mauritsen. “Our main markets are to the east so Dar es Salaam is attractive, and Beira is also addressing service issues and its infrastructure in order to become a gateway. South Africa has become an expensive option so looking at these non-traditional outlets makes economic sense if they are competitive and well run,” he says. The two lines use road transportation to ports as the container market is small and does not justify rail transportation at this point. He says the Zambian future looks bright – particularly with the doubling of copper production projected in the next five years to about one million tons. The increased tobacco and cotton production will also impact particularly on import containers which will now have a return export load opportunity.