SDV to open container dry port near Luanda

Within the next three
months SDV will open
a new container dry port
5km from Luanda – one of a range
of initiatives by the logistics major
to streamline transport operations in
this fast-growing market.
“We see it as a win-win solution
for shipping lines, importers and
logistics companies involved in
Angola,” says SDV’s Johannesburgbased
regional managing director
Philippe Deneve.
Dedicated to full import
containers, the 150 000 m2 facility
is expected to go a long way in
helping to ease port congestion
in Luanda.
“The only other dry port is 40km
from the port, so we’re not in
competition but rather offering a
totally new alternative.”
SDV has been involved in Angola
for more than 50 years, but the past
three years have been a period of
huge growth, with the company
expanding from a staff of 250 to
more than 700.
“We have strong teams in Luanda,
Lobito, Soyo and Cabinda and
are looking to open an office in
Namibe,” says Deneve.
General cargo and logistics
in the oil industry are the two
focus markets, with project cargo
one of the company’s specialist
competencies in Angola.
“In Soyo, for example, we are in
charge of the logistics of the LNG
project for the construction of a gas
factory that will be the biggest
in Africa.”
The country is clearly alive with
possibilities, but it’s not without
challenges, chief among these the
infrastructure shortfalls for sea
and road transport as a result of
exceptional growth over the past
few years.
“Luanda is always congested,”
says Deneve. “And there are big
traffic jams all day every day in
Luanda. While in other countries we
can make four or five trips with a
truck per day, in Luanda it’s one trip
and when we make two we are
very happy.”
This obviously adds to the
transport costs and the challenge is
to find solutions to making more
trucks available.
“Putting more trucks on the road
merely exacerbates the problem so
streamlining activities is the way to
go and one of these, for example, is
to transport as many containers as
possible at night from the container
terminal to final destinations.”
A few months ago SDV did a trial
run using Lobito instead of Luanda,
but after a few weeks Lobito was
just as congested, says Deneve.
And while a new port close to
Luanda is on the planning boards,
this will take some time because it’s
a large investment.
Looking to the future, SDV is
interested in becoming a partner
with the port authority if they decide
to invite private sector buy-in. “This
could be on a BOT (build, operate
and transfer) basis, with SDV
interested in operating a new port
jointly with local partners.
But with moves afoot that will
ultimately improve productivity in
the port and on the roads, Deneve is
bullish about the future.
“Everything is improving all
the time.
“The new dry port will help to
improve productivity at Luanda by
providing a dedicated new facility
outside the port and making more
space available for working inside
the port.
“The road infrastructure too is
better now than it was two years
ago and will continue to improve as
huge amounts are being invested by
the government.
“If traffic jams are reduced it
will be easier for us to improve our
productivity and to transport four or
five containers a day instead of one
– and that will impact on transport
costs which are currently far
too high.”
It’s a country with enormous
potential, says Deneve.
“Today it has a higher level of
oil production than Nigeria and
could be the first producer of oil in
Africa – and there are also many
opportunities in the mining business
with diamonds, coal, minerals and
the like.
“In addition, there’s been renewed
interest in agriculture in the
Lubango region which was a big
agricultural producer many
years ago.”
As infrastructure shortfalls
are addressed, the country’s
potential will be fully realised –
and companies like SDV will be
well positioned to be part of the
development of this growth market.