Walvis Bay Stevedoring will be ready in September when Namport introduces a three-shift system for the container terminal in the port of Walvis Bay, says Riaan Lottering, general manager of Walvis Bay Stevedoring. The company already provides a 24-hour service for the container and bulk business in two 12-hour shifts, and breakbulk operations on request for 24 hours. “We see it as very important to provide around-the-clock services in the container terminal in order to increase turnover in the port. With the new three-shift systems, we will be able to rotate our employees more regularly with more rest periods, which will reduce fatigue and increase our safety record,” he says. While the company has experience in operating 24 hours a day, a skills shortage in Walvis Bay means that there has to be a concerted drive to recruit and train the additional staff. The target date for implementation is September 1 this year. Part of the preparations is a safety drive within the company. Staff are given safety briefings on the buses to and from work over and above the normal safety procedures before and during working hours. Lottering, who moved less than a year ago to Walvis Bay Stevedoring from Namsov Fishing Enterprises, another Bidvest Namibia company, says the company is expanding the range of services it offers in the port. The primary business is handling the shipside discharge and loading of cargo and it is currently geared to handle heavy lifts of up to 300mt. “Besides discharging some frozen fish destined for the EU at local fish factories, we are also able to hire out forklifts, front-end loaders, trailers and trucks. “We try to add value wherever we can,” he says.
