As the effects of the economic downturn continue to impact industries across the world, South African transporters are also feeling the pinch – especially when it comes to project cargo. The mining sector in particular has come under siege with projects either shelved or cancelled resulting in a dramatic downturn in cargo compared to last year. According to Herbert Muller, general manager of a hartrodt South Africa, project cargo has not come to a complete standstill but no growth is expected in this sector of the business in coming months. “It is not all bad – although we have already seen a dramatic downturn in volumes. It could without a doubt be much better.” Muller said last year the company moved approximately 2000 tons of project cargo, but was expecting a decrease this year. “We have some small projects that we are still working on – some printing presses for Caxton and the CTP group that are on order now, as well as some mining equipment that has still to be moved, but otherwise it is quiet.” He said mines, often in big demand for project cargo, were in current economic times downscaling operations drastically. “We are seeing less refurbishment and very little investing taking place at present whereas last year we were very involved in moving machines for the refurbishment of several mines.” Muller said infrastructure upgrades in South Africa had also not really resulted in an increase in business, but it had not caused too much concern for the company. “We continue to keep abreast of our clients’ requirements and needs, ensuring that cargo is transported safely and timeously from one destination to the next.”
