ILA adds new direct services and frequencies

Independent groupage operator International Liner Agencies has up-scaled its Far East services adding new ports and additional frequencies. “We’ve seen what’s happening in the SA market,” says national sales and marketing director Raymond Cutts. “With freight volumes at their current levels a lot of shippers are looking at bringing in smaller volumes more frequently – a trend which we believe will continue. Remaining in tune with our customers’ needs, in conjunction with our partner Vanguard, we have been able to grow the trades and add value. “We’ve introduced dual sailings (twice weekly) out of certain ports, and with Vanguard’s established network of 17 own offices in key strategic locations, we believe we have a strong value proposition to sell,” said Kevin Taylor, ILA Far East trade manager. ILA currently offers direct sailings out of Hong Kong, Shanghai, Shenzhen, Xingdao and Ningbo with Xiamen-Durban a recent addition to its service offering. The Ningbo service was recently upgraded to two sailings a week to Durban, and one weekly direct option to Cape Town. Taiwan has also been a strong focus of growth for ILA. “Our partners, Oriental Vanguard Logistics, are a wellrespected NVOCC operating within the Taiwan market. With ILA trade manager Lee Horrocks having recently visited OVL Taiwan, ILA and OVL have committed to a weekly service from Keelung, Kaohsiung and Taichung to main South African ports,” said Taylor. And despite the fairly conservative economic outlook, ILA is upbeat about prospects on the Far East trade for the year ahead. “We’ve exceeded our targets and budget this year and expect more of the same in 2014,” said Cutts. “The growth has been a combination of our partnership with Vanguard and aggressive sales and marketing of our services. Vanguard is a household name throughout China which we believe gives us a strong competitive advantage.” INSERT & CAPTION 1 ILA and OVL OVL have committed to a weekly service from Keelung, Kaohsiung and Taichung to main South African ports. – Kevin Taylor INSERT & CAPTION 2 We’ve exceeded our targets and budget this year and expect more of the same in 2014. – Raymond Cutts