Forwarders turn attention to Angolan opportunities

With the world recession having hit the mining industry, South African freight forwarders are finding project cargo business opportunities elsewhere. According to Gary Wagner of RB Freight Management, there is huge potential in Angola where many building and road network development projects are under way. “There is still big potential for moving project cargo into Africa, but especially Angola. There are however some challenges as on many occasions it needs to be handled on a port by port basis.” And because there is very little, and in some cases even no specialised equipment available at regional ports to lift heavy and abnormal loads, project cargo demands exceptionally careful planning. “In Angola the biggest frustration is the number of wasted days due to port congestion. Projects are often held up because vessels are delayed at outer anchorage as a result of the port congestion.” RB Freight Management, which recently moved a large number of cold rooms and freezers into Angola to be used by several hotels, believes that despite the challenges, Africa is a viable option. Says RB’S Richard Barry, “Anything one can think of is needed in Angola. It is all about finding the opportunity.” And Wagner agrees. “While mining has been negatively affected across the world, gold is still a safe option and the gold mining industry in Africa is still on the upswing. “Angola and many other countries are still increasing their basic infrastructure,” he says.