In a move designed to strengthen its South African multi-purpose vessel (MPV) division, Safmarine has appointed Leonard Bentley as its new Johannesburgbased MPV sales manager. Bentley, who will focus predominantly on securing export breakbulk and containerised cargo for the South Africa-West Africa trade, says South African businesses have seen the vast potential of West Africa, currently home to six of the world’s 10 fastest growing economies. “West Africa’s growing oil, gas and mining industries are providing major opportunities for local companies,” he said. “Demand is particularly high in West Africa for South African products for the oil and gas, mining, hospitality, agricultural, telecommunications and building industries.” The line’s MPV/breakbulk service from South Africa to West Africa covers a vast range of ports from Namibia to Gabon, with inducement ports further afield into Nigeria and Ghana. In 2012 the service will begin calling Maputo every second month, with the primary focus on serving ports in Angola and the DRC. The fleet caters for containerised and noncontainerised cargoes with a further three new MPV vessels set to boost the global fleet. Bentley says that once all the company’s new MPV vessels have been delivered, Safmarine will have one of the youngest MPV fleets in the world.
