Limited sailings stunt Walvis Bay growth

Sailings to and from the Port of

Walvis Bay need to increase if

it wants to grow cargo volumes in

the long run.

“A lot of forwarders are still

booking cargo through the Port

of Durban simply because this

is what they know,” a Botswanabased

logistics expert told

FTW. “Also there is not a lot of

information available around

the sailings directly into and

out of Walvis Bay. Not enough

information is being shared in

terms of the origins.”

Another forwarder said

they were avidly watching the

developments in Walvis Bay with

the ultimate view of using the Port

of Durban less.

“At this stage Walvis Bay is just

not aggressive enough. They are

not sharing enough information

around sailing times, direct

calls and the likes. The biggest

challenge is probably that they

don’t get enough sailings from

around the world.”

He said to benefit from shorter

transit times – such as those

experienced on the US route – it

was essential to get timing right.

“More often than not it is still

a hit and miss and then one is

forced to go back to Durban – and

the result is a far longer waiting

time than what it would have been

just booking through Durban

from the get go. Many times in the

landlocked countries the decision

is taken to use Durban to just be

safe rather than sorry, but it will

change as Walvis Bay offers more

sailings and they become more

proficient in sharing information.”