Moving project cargo starts with the choice of port

Project cargo management in
Africa starts with the right
choice of port, says Peter
Sands, Mozambique country
manager FH Bertling Logistics.
With infrastructure posing
possible challenges for road freight,
“special attention is given to
bridges for their weight, height and
width constraints. The state of the
roads and other restrictions such
as country-specific transport laws
as well as overhead cables, be it
electricity or telephone are all taken
into account,” he says.
Bertling, which specialises in
project cargo, can then direct vessels
carrying cargo to the best port to
handle the project and ensure that
the cargo moves out quickly and
along the preferred route, he says.
“It means a lot of driving and
measuring, but Bertling has now
collected a huge database of
knowledge for moving cargo around
Africa”.
Mozambique is currently “awash
with projects,” which are mainly in
the north and central regions of the
country, “making it an exciting time
to be there.
“The challenges are many, but
solving these challenges is what
makes the job enjoyable and every
day we learn something new about
ourselves and our capabilities,” says
Sands.
“2011 is going to be even more
of a challenge as Bertling is
also undertaking Certification in
ISO9001 and changing to a new
computer system which has been
developed in house and will improve
our overall performance,” he says.