Safmarine has welcomed
the opening of a new
container depot near the
Port of Ngqura, saying the
new 3000-TEU capacity
depot will provide its
customers – particularly
its reefer customers – with
greater cargo efficiencies.
According to Craig
McCarthy, Safmarine’s
Eastern Cape regional
executive: “The September
10 opening of a new APM
Terminal (formerly SATI)
depot near Coega has
made it possible for us to
offer our Eastern Cape
customers specialist reefer
services such as storage,
maintenance and repair, as
well as pre-trip inspection
facilities.
“And, thanks to a new
layout, all these specialist
services can now be
executed in the same
lane, thereby potentially
reducing reefer turnaround
times by half.”
Full staging and
storage services for all
dry and reefer cargo will,
according to McCarthy,
also be offered as part
of the depot’s Phase 2
project.
McCarthy says the
opening of the new stateof-
the-art depot – which is
located within a kilometre
radius of Safmarine’s
logistics haulier,
Roadwing – is also well
timed to coincide with
a more positive export
outlook for the Eastern
Cape.
“The Eastern Cape’s
2013 citrus season
is expected to be an
improvement on the
disappointing 2012 season
and a number of OEM
(original equipment
manufacturers) are,
according to Naamsa’s
quarterly review
published in August,
ramping up vehicle
export programmes and
production, which also
bodes well for the region.”
CAPTION
Craig McCarthy … more positive
export outlook.
