... as Rafi Porat
returns to head office
ELEVEN YEARS since his arrival in South Africa to head up the fledgling Marimed operation, m.d. Rafi Porat is returning to head office in Haifa, Israel where he will be involved in project development.
His successor, Michael Katz, has taken up the challenge of steering Marimed through South Africa's highly competitive waters.
When I arrived here my objective was to grow the operation, and with the dedicated team in Johannesburg and Durban and with the support of head office, I have achieved that objective, says Porat, who believes that niche marketing and a dedicated service has paid dividends in an increasingly competitive market.
In 1988, when Porat took the reins, Marimed operated one vessel a month, using Mitchell Cotts as its agent.
Gradually we increased our activities moving lots of project cargo to the US, Europe, Persian Gulf, Far East, Australia and New Zealand, till we formed our own company, Marimed Shipping South Africa.
Increased competition led to a link-up with MUR three years ago to form Marimur which offers a monthly breakbulk service on the SA - West Africa route.
In line with its policy of niche marketing, Marimed also entered into a joint venture three years ago with Sydney-based SSM and launched its Mascot Line service on the Australia, New Zealand route.
We now have Mascot II from the Med to Australia and Marimur II from the US Gulf to West Africa.
Having laid the foundation for the Marimed operation in South Africa, Porat is confident that his successor has the credentials to equip him for the difficult conditions ahead.
Katz has spent the past 25 years with Zim Line, in a top management position when he left. More recently he has been based in Portugal as m.d. of Port Line.
For Porat, his 11-years in South Africa have been memorable, not least for his interest in flying which is a hobby he pursued for the first time during his stay in South Africa.
