Saf’s 2008 fleet expansion on course

THE NAMING of the 2474
teu Safmarine Ngami last
week marked the start of one
of the most extensive fleet
renewal programmes ever
undertaken by Safmarine.
A further eight new ships
– of which six are owned and
two are chartered tonnage
– will be named by Safmarine
this year, African region
executive Alan Jones told
FTW.
The line is yet to reveal
the routes on which the new
vessels will be deployed.
“When they are ready for
delivery we’ll look at different
trades and deploy them
accordingly,” says Jones.
Safmarine has added
seven owned, new ships to
its fleet since 2005 when it
introduced the Safmarine
Nomazwe and Safmarine
Nokwanda on the SA-Europe
trade. “This highlights our
commitment to the future
and our shareholders’
commitment to Safmarine.”
The ships are all selffunded
with no crosssubsidisation
within the
group, Jones said.
“Safmarine has doubled
in size twice in the last eight
years since our acquisition by
APM-Maersk – it’s all part of
our growth plan for the next
20-30 years.”