Maersk Sealand opens Bloemfontein office

Joy Orlek WEDNESDAY SEES the official opening in Bloemfontein of a Maersk Sealand office. It's the first shipping line to open a dedicated office in the Free State city and reflects the company's philosophy of close customer access. "We're taking a calculated risk," says Maersk South Africa managing director Peter Ehrenreich, "but we're confident that there's enough business into and out of the Free State to justify the move." And having already shipped 50 containers in one month, his optimism appears to be well founded. The region's strengths lie in garments, textiles and shoes with some asparagus moving out of the Ficksburg area. "At the moment most of the cargo is containerised at the ports of exit," said Ehrenreich. Maersk Sealand will offer a door to door service, with goods being packed by the exporter and then moved to the coast. The region was previously served by the company's Gauteng office, but closer proximity will result in higher service levels, says Ehrenreich whose interest in the area was tweaked at a conference last year where the Department of Trade & Industry drew attention to the region's growth potential. Linda Ford, who has notched up several years of experience with the line In Durban and Johannesburg, will head the branch. The move goes against the general trend towards centralisation, "but we believe that the local touch will be appreciated," says Ehrenreich. The service will cater exclusively for full container loads.