The freight industry has been quick to take advantage of the time savings offered by routing consolidated cargo through Ngqura as the first port of call out of Europe, according to Martin Schulze, managing director of independent neutral consolidator Contra Consolidations.
Interviewed by Freight News in Gqeberha at the formal launch of the Express service after its successful pilot phase, Schulze said the company had established a warehouse operation in the Coega SEZ in partnership with the Coega Industrial Development Corporation.
Coega provides the building, and Contra the technology.
Containers offloaded from weekly services out of Spain, Italy, the United Kingdom, Belgium Netherlands, Germany and Türkiye are deconsolidated in the warehouse, with the cargo packed onto trucks and road-hauled to Cape Town, Durban and Gauteng.
Importers gain between 14 and 40 days, depending on the delays in Durban and Cape Town, according to Contra Consolidation calculations.
The vessel rotation is Ngqura, Durban and Cape Town.
“We have been amazed at the support we have received from Nelson Mandela Bay,” he said.
Similar services are planned from the Far East (Singapore) and other ports with direct connections to Ngqura.
Export services, currently offered out of Durban and Cape Town, are also on the cards.
Schulze says the Ngqura service was introduced to overcome congestion delays in Durban and Cape Town, which the company believes will not “be resolved anytime soon”.
Customers needing their cargo urgently can have their goods delivered within two to three days after the container has been unpacked in the Coega warehouse, at a premium rate.
There is no charge for the standard option, where Contra guarantees arrival in Cape Town before the original vessel calls.
Clients can track the progress of their freight online.
