NileDutch reveals fleet expansion plans

A number of wide-beam
3 500-TEU container vessels
are on the drawing boards
for NileDutch, according to
president and founder Wim
van Aalst.
He says the newbuilds
are being planned despite
the uncertainty in the world
economy.
Volumes to and from
Africa are growing, and
wide-beam vessels are
needed to navigate the
relatively shallow waters in a
number of the ports.
NileDutch is also
responding to the needs of
its clients – a factor which
is close to the heart of Van
Aalst.
“A ship is a ship. You need
to be close to your clients. We
are fortunate in that we have
very good and dedicated staff
“Therefore we believe
we have a good future if we
continue doing what we do
best,” he said.
The company will be
calling on new ports and
introducing new services as
the needs of its clients grow.
“We have been going to
West Africa since we started
in 1980, and we see progress.
We also see the dynamics
of growing trade with South
Africa. This is a fantastic
country,” he says.
NileDutch South Africa is
headed up by Pravin Parsad,
who is chief executive officer,
and director Sharl Parsad.