Marking an historical milestone…

Eighteen months since its launch, DAL Agency is continuing its growth trajectory. July 1 will see the official launch of its East London office headed up by experienced shipping personality Dave Kirkman. Since the dissolution of the 11-year-old SafDal partnership with Safmarine at the end of October 2008, the company has focused on setting up its own European and southern African agency organisations to market space on the SA-Europe Container Service in which Deutsche Afrika Linien is a vessel sharing member together with Safmarine, Maersk and MOL. East London, with its strong automotive focus, completes the loop And while the timing of the new agency arrangement – in the midst of the global recession – was far from perfect, it’s now at full strength with the resources to tap into the potential growth that Johannesburg-based managing director Ron Frick believes has already clicked into high gear. Norman Hickel, a retired technical manager at MBSA, had some interesting historical facts to share with guests at a client function in East London earlier this month related to DOAL and DAL and the start of South African motor industry. According to information researched with the help of the manufacturer’s archives in Stuttgart, the first ever motor vehicle to be shipped to South Africa was a ‘Benz Velo’. Built in July 1896 the car was shipped onboard the DAL vessel Hertzog to Durban and this was the first motorised vehicle to land in South Africa. “The setting up of a DAL office in East London, the home of Mercedes Benz manufacturing in South Africa, is therefore even more appropriate, marking DAL's long association with the automotive industry in this country,” said Frick.