SA economy will determine sustainability of F-E growth

THE MOMENTUM of China-South Africa trade is sustainable, but the level of growth will depend on the strength of the South African economy in relation to the economies of the East – and on South Africa’s ability to accommodate increased volumes. That’s the view of Safmarine’s Africa region executive Alan Jones who says growing volumes from China are impacting on South Africa’s ports, particularly Durban. “By way of example, Safmarine’s 2007 import figures for the port of Durban exceeded annual budget forecasts within the first six months of the year, before the start of the peak season.” Despite the strength of imports, Safmarine continues to focus on creating a more balanced trade with the East and regularly investigates ways to address this imbalance, says Jones. “Growing South Africa’s exports to the East is important because the repositioning of equipment remains a challenge for both shippers and shipping lines, particularly on the Safari service where export cargo tends to be shipped in 20 foot containers and import cargo in 40 footers,” says Jones.