Investment brings international KNOW-HOW into Namibia

The decision by DB Schenker

in 2012 to purchase its

partner Desert Logistics and

establish its own offices has

provided additional German

support for a number of

Namibian logistics projects,

according to DB Schenker

Namibia chief financial officer

Christoph Scholz.

The company’s decision to

invest in Namibia connected

importers and exporters directly

to the global DB Schenker

network of 2 000

locations in more than

130 countries.

The company is also

in a position to provide

support to state entities in

the logistics sector.

“With the backing

of our German rail

network we are able

to offer our help with

the restructuring of

TransNamib,” says Scholz.

Measured by transport

volume DB Cargo is

the largest rail freight

company in Europe.

It operates throughout

Europe with a f leet of

some 114 000 freight cars

and 3 400 locomotives

serving around 4 200 sidings.

Rail experts from the German

operations are advising the

Namibian government on the

reorganisation of TransNamib

to provide the land-side links

required to serve the new

container

terminal and

SADC port in

Walvis Bay.

There is also

support from

the German

government,

which sees

transport as

one of three

priority areas

for support,

according to the

Federal Ministry

for Economic Cooperation and

Development.

The other two areas are

natural resource management

and sustainable economic

development.

DB Schenker’s operations in

Namibia provide logistics support

for German government-funded

projects.

“With our global reach and

knowledge base we can move

anything in or out of the country,”

he says.

A groupage

service is operated

out of Hamburg.

DB Schenker

Namibia has

offices in

Windhoek and

Walvis Bay, and

is planning to

invest in a storage

facility in Walvis

Bay, according to

Scholz.

The company

offers bonded warehousing, as well

as transit bonds.

“Our objective is to be a onestop-

shop, offering the full range

of logistics services from courier to

project cargo,” he says.

INSERT & CAPTION

With the backing of our

German rail network we

are able to offer our help

with the restructuring of

TransNamib.

– Christoph Scholz