While there are mixed results using rail directly out of Zambia, a combination of road and rail to the port of Durban is working extremely well for copper exporters, according to Richard Powell of Cargo Management & Logistics (CML).
“Copper is trucked from the Copperbelt to a facility in South Africa where it is checked and weighed, consolidated and packed into containers. From there it is railed directly into the stack in the port of Durban,” he says.
The combination allows CML to utilise maximum capacity on the road route, while ensuring high-value cargo is secure and traceable throughout.
All containers are secured with electronic locks which along with trucks are GPS-enabled.