Anchored in the Port of Cape Town is the UAL Rodach, one of a five-strong fleet of multipurpose vessels sailing the Universal Africa Line service between SA and West Africa. She and her four fellow vessels in the fleet, all ranging between 6 000 and 12 000-mt dwt, are combined breakbulk/ container carriers, and with cranes ranging between 60 and 250-tonne capacity. “The ships are geared towards heavy-lift cargoes, and especially focused on the needs of the oil and gas industries,” said Ulrik Fischer, GM of UAL Africa. “I also expect Cape Town to become the SA centre for repair and replacement of oil and gas equipment for the West African oilfields, with oil rigs already frequently seen in for repair at the port.” This has added an SA-West Africa leg to UAL’s already long-established reputation as a niche breakbulk carrier in the oil and gas industry from Europe and the US Gulf to West Africa.
