Mobile sheds provide flexible and economical option

GROWTH IN cargo volumes along the Trans Caprivi, Trans Kalahari and Trans Cunene Corridors over the past two years has led to increased demand for storage space in the port of Walvis Bay, according to Stella Auala, business development officer of the Walvis Bay Corridor Group. In response, the Port of Walvis Bay has expanded its undercover storage facilities. Five warehouses, each with 1 000m2 capacity, have been added in different locations inside the port. Each of these sheds is 96 metres long, 20 metres wide and 10 metres high. Undercover storage in the Port of Walvis Bay has increased during the past year by about 12 000 m2, she says. These facilities are mobile sheds which can be moved to any other area depending on the needs of the clients in the port. Namport acquired the first mobile shed about five years ago and it has proved to be very economical and suitable for the port development and expansion programme, according to Auala. The sheds will largely be used for the storage of transit cargo, as volumes along the three main transport corridors linking Walvis Bay with the rest of the SADC region, continue to grow. This is in anticipation of an increase in demand for storage of cargo imports destined for the Zambian, Zimbabwean and Democratic Republic of Congo markets, which to a large extent still import and export cargo in break bulk form. “This latest development and the expansion of capacities are in line with the port's aim to become the hub for imports and exports for the SADC market,” she says.