German-owned multinational SAL Heavy Lift, which specialises in sea transport of heavy lift and project cargo, is working on establishing a hub in Nigeria to represent the company in Africa with a focus on West Africa.
“The rising oil price has spurred economic growth in the region and we believe experienced logistics service providers can help stimulate growth by providing a support service to help drive manufacturing,” said Paul Okpurughre, SAL Heavy Lift director of business development and operations in the Middle East and Africa.
He told FTW that the company, which owns its own fleet of vessels, had been actively providing a project cargo service to East and West Africa from Asia and Europe for 40 years, primarily oil and gas. But West Africa’s economy had diversified and there were now new opportunities in infrastructure development, renewable energy and other power generation projects, he added. Okpurughre pointed out that there was a “great demand” for infrastructure equipment such as locomotives and cranes as the region was focused on updating its rail infrastructure.
“Oil and gas and refinery equipment continue to be in demand but also floating units such as fish trawlers,” he explained. “Our sister company, SAL Engineering, has also launched a few projects in West Africa, providing independent marine engineering and lift engineering to clients locally, so we not only provide tonnage and shipping services to the region, but also the technical know-how where it is needed,” Okpurughre added. All SAL vessels have an extensive range of cargo handling equipment including forklifts, spreader bars, lifting beams, and materials for lashing and securing items.
In April this year the company launched its semi-liner service out of Europe to West Africa and out of Asia via the Arab Gulf to East and West Africa.
“The services have been very well received, especially since we have four decades of experience in these markets and we work closely with agents on the ground,” said Okpurughre, highlighting that the company hoped to expand its regular seafreight services to both regions.
