SDV adds Walvis Bay to its network

Joy Orlek LOGISTICS MAJOR SDV has added Walvis Bay to its comprehensive African network. Peter Doria heads up the operation, the company’s 215th on the continent. “Namibia was one of the few remaining countries where SDV did not have a presence,” says customer service manager Pete Sands, “and this has now been rectified.” The need to move cargo from southern DRC and Zambia to the coast is what motivated the move, says Sands. “Dar es Salaam and Beira are both congested and unable to handle the volumes coming out of these two countries and we had to find another route to handle these cargoes. “SDV is always prepared to try innovative methods, and the Trans Caprivi Corridor was the answer. “It will enable us to move our cargo via Caprivi to Walvis Bay where our office has warehouse and yard space to handle transit cargo." The Trans K alahari Corridor is also proving a practical alternative for Botswana clients, says Sands. "We are managing to save them at least nine days on their transit times into Botswana, especially from E urope and the USA. The cost-saving for Botswana imports makes Walvis Bay a more attractive alternative to the traditional Durban route." SDV believes that Namibia will play an important role in its future logistics plans. "It will allow countries like southern DRC, Zambia, Zimbabwe and Botswana to import and export without the constant worry of congestion and capacity constraints."