Increased demand for the facilities and services being offered by the Zambia Dry Port in the port of Walvis Bay has been met with ongoing investment in the facility, according to Africa Union Cargo marketing and sales manager Traolach Moylan.
“We have a very positive outlook for the future trends of cargo growth.
“Namport’s huge investment in the development of the new container facility in Walvis Bay port and TransNamib’s focus on the rail network are creating tremendous opportunities for the region. “It is critical that all local and international businesses work together and recognise the importance of the Walvis Bay port and corridors leading from it,” he says.
Africa Union Cargo holds the concession for the development and operation of the dry port facility. “We have fully developed Phase 1 of the Zambia Dry Port. Currently we are in the final stages of Phase 2 which will triple our operational space in the dry port with a final operational bonded warehouse of 30 000 sqm. “We expect the work to be finished by the end of this year, when it will be fully operational,” he says. The investment in the dry port has been spurred by the upgrading of the port of Walvis Bay and supporting infrastructure.
“We see growing demand for products in landlocked and bordering countries, specifically in Zambia and the DRC. The supporting logistics infrastructure is critical to the success of the corridor and the Zambia Dry Port,” he says. Africa Union Cargo is working with transporters and shippers to attract return loads along the corridor, so reducing the costs that an empty leg adds.
“We are working on several forums to assist with building return load volumes in order to make Walvis Bay more attractive to our clients than other ports.
“While we will always be in competition with the ports on the eastern seaboard, our data shows that even for east-bound cargo Walvis Bay offers a more cost-effective option thanks to more frequent calls by the major shipping lines, our superior port facilities, and better and safer infrastructure,” he says.
