MACS marks 21 years with a promise of further investment

PURE PERSEVERANCE has taken Maritime Carrier Shipping from its humble beginnings in 1980 to the force it has become today, as the multi-purpose carrier celebrates its milestone 21st year in operation on the SA - Europe route. "We have customers who go back 20 years, blue chip companies that have used us since day one," says general manager Bill Hall, who joined the line at its inception and has become part and parcel of its identity. "We have always delivered on our promises, and have never promised a service we could not deliver," says Hall, "and for the shipper that speaks volumes." It has not however always been plain sailing for the independent line which was launched by Felix Scheder-Bieschin senior in 1980. "South African shippers in those days were very flexible. They liked to ship with conference, conference or conference," says SA managing director Felix Scheder-Bieschin junior. "Changing that mindset and breaking down the conference stronghold was a major challenge which we met through service delivery." The service was born when Scheder-Bieschin senior saw a gap in the market and grabbed it. He had two ships which needed deployment. At the time the Portuguese CTM Line had withdrawn from the SA route, and as agent for CTM he had the contacts. "Most German shipowners would have employed the vessels on time charter to get a guaranteed income, but he decided to go beyond that and become an operator himself," says Scheder-Bieschin. The line gained acceptance as a reputable independent, and in 1992 joined the Europe Southern Africa Conference as the official multipurpose carrier of the conference. "We were always very successful on the bulk/breakbulk side," says Hall, recalling that the early vessels were generally 14 000dwt with capacity for up to 120 containers. "Containers were much more difficult. When we booked 20 containers we had a party!" Reflecting on the line's future, Hall sees it as a continuation of the same on a larger scale. "Ships are bigger, creating greater economies of scale, but although rates are relatively firm they're below what they were in the 1980s, which means working smarter. "We've always kept abreast of developments in electronic communication. We started tracking in the late 80s and will shortly introduce a computerised manifest and integrated accounts system." Competition has always been intense. Because it services all three sectors of the market (bulk, breakbulk and containers), MACS has some 11 competitors fighting for a slice of the action. "Our edge is delivering on our promises and ensuring short lines of communication to senior management which speeds up decision-making. "We boast the youngest fleet on the Europe trade and serve niche ports which other operators don't include in their schedules. "South Africa will always play an important role in our service," says Scheder-Bieschin, "and we will continue to watch the market closely and look for other opportunities to complement our niche markets." In the long-term the line would like to strengthen its North West Continent service to a 6-vessel operation, However this will only be possible if there is a substantial increase in the southbound volumes. Following a decision to relocate MACS South African head office to Cape Town later this year, Scheder-Bieschin says the line will continue to invest in South Africa. "Our plan is to transfer certain activities from Europe to South Africa making this country the service centre for the company."