Overborder traffic grows

While several of its clients
were glad to put 2009 behind
them, United Maritime
Logistics was able to ride
out the recession with fairly
stable volumes. “And we’ve
already seen a change in the
market since January,” says
UML Johannesburg-based
director, Corinne French.
“LCL volumes are
increasing and we expect
that this will be the outlook
for the year to come.”
When you’re operating
in a niche market that is
volume-driven, you need to
be responsible and look after
aspects like service delivery,
rates and, most importantly,
communication, says French.
But remaining competitive
in a changing market is a
constant challenge.
All the more so when
service providers are not up
to speed. “The inadequate
rail link between Durban
and Johannesburg, which
results in increased transit
times inland, leaves one
in a predicament which
results in road-hauling of
containers from Durban to
Johannesburg at excessive
costs. TFR needs to improve
its service and delivery
times,” says French.
An encouraging
development has been the
growth in overborder traffic,
of which UML has scored its
fair share.
“We have more and more
requests to move LCL
cargo overborder to our
neighbouring countries,”
says French. “These
range from normal FAK
commodities to personal
effects – and since these
are generally cross trade,
cargo is terminated in
Durban or Johannesburg and
on-forwarded from there.
As a result we have seen
significant growth in our
Durban volumes.”
The company’s traditional
southbound consolidation
service for the South East/
Gulf region in the USA to
South Africa has been going
strong, says French.
“We consolidate Memphis,
Charlotte, Charleston,
Dallas, Houston, New
Orleans and Miami in
Atlanta and then load
in Atlanta a dedicated
consolidation via Charleston
to Durban.
“This reduces the inland
transit time compared to
New York consolidations as
well as offering our clients a
better sailing time due to the
routing of the southbound
vessels calling on Charleston
after New York. With
volume permitting we
are looking into loading
a direct Durban container
ex Houston in the not too
distant future.”