Low volumes, bureaucracy impede groupage into Africa

Moving export cargo into countries in Africa poses major challenges, especially when it comes to Less than Container Load (LCL) shipping. This is according to Mike Walwyn, operations director at Nexlog. While it is difficult to fill containers to African destinations there are also several bureaucratic problems to overcome at a number of border posts. Getting containers – for which LCL shippers are responsible – out of African countries is a further challenge. He says shipping lines are not always happy to have their containers turned in in these places and even when they do, they are often required to pay large deposits to get the containers back. But not all difficulties experienced by LCL shippers into Africa are manmade. Kevin Dagnin, managing director of Kayhill Freight, says his LCL business

is challenged by Africa’s topography.  “Most of Lesotho is mountainous and this topographical challenge is exacerbated by heavy snowfall in winter. Certain areas in the country become entirely inaccessible,” he explains. Dagnin adds that the time taken to travel through the mountains in Lesotho is also significant. “Travelling to Qacha’s Nek from Maseru – a short distance of around 230km – can take as long as 10 hours because of the steep inclines, hairpin turns and narrow roads.” “There are also customs challenges, although these are not unique to Lesotho. It is a small country with minimal industrial activity and very modest export volumes. This means transporters frequently return to South Africa without loads on their trucks,” he says. Trucks frequently return from Lesotho to South Africa without loads. – Kevin Dagni