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.