Increasingly opting for Walvis Bay

Improvements and upgrades

at the Port of Walvis Bay

and along the Trans Kalahari

Corridor (TKC) are starting

to pay off with logistics

service providers in Botswana

increasingly using this route.

According to Gareth

Lendrum, general manager

of Bolloré Africa Logistics in

Botswana, more cargo is being

diverted through Walvis Bay

than ever before.

“We are strategically aligning

ourselves more and more with

Walvis Bay and diverting more

cargo through the Namibian

port – especially that coming in

from the USA,” he told FTW.

“It is really starting to show

dividends of which the most

important is a faster transit

time.”

He said through its regional

synergy and collaboration it

made sense for Bolloré Africa,

which also has an office in

Namibia, to use this route more

often.

“We are taking advantage

of the network of our logistics

offices throughout the

Southern African Development

Community, integrating our

operations in an effort to ensure

our clients are getting a faster,

more efficient

service.”

He said whilst

price often still

determined

which port was

being used by

the landlocked

country, several

strategic clients in

Botswana required

shorter transit

times. “They are

opting to hold less stock on the

f loor and so want the fastest

possible transit time. We are

finding that if planned correctly

this is delivered through Walvis

Bay.”

Lendrum said service

providers remained under

pressure to find faster solutions

all the time.

“The biggest challenge with

Walvis Bay is that there are

not always enough sailings

from around the world and so

to ensure you are benefiting

from a shorter transit time it

is essential to get the timing

right.”

INSERT & CAPTION

The biggest challenge

with Walvis Bay is that

there are not always

enough sailings from

around the world.

– Gareth Lendrum