New Durban office handles project cargo exports hold their own

JOY ORLEK
SIX MONTHS since the opening of an Afrilogix Durban office, it’s become self-sustaining, says managing director of the BEE company Nisa Dawood.
“We’re now able to service our Johannesburg clients who have distribution networks in Durban in a more streamlined way, and are also handling our project cargo through this new regional base,” Dawood told FTW.
And business is generally brisk, despite the impact of the rampant rand on exporters.
Afrilogix recently signed up an 8-year contract with the Belhasa Group which is involved in the dredging of the harbour in Dubai.
“They’ve sourced all their equipment from South Africa, with the first 250 cubes going off in July. The second phase will be the movement of an entire plant from Botswana into Dubai.”
While Afrilogix originally focused on export projects into Africa, growing import traffic has been a welcome bonus. “We handled in excess of 1500 tons in August alone,” she said.
“On the export side, despite the problems of a stronger rand and rising freight rates, we’ve maintained our export client base but at a slightly lower level than we would have hoped for.
“Luanda is a big market for us. We’ve shipped over 150 containers of mainly construction equipment over the last two months. But it’s not without its problems particularly with regard to port congestion which can delay cargo for up to four weeks.”