A second logistics company
linked to a shipping line has
decided to open a container
yard in the logistics zone
of the Coega Industrial
Development Zone.
MSC Logistics has
announced plans to build a
R50-million container depot
on 8.7 hectares of land in the
Coega IDZ.
The company currently
has a container
depot in
the Nelson
Mandela Bay
Logistics Park
in Uitenhage,
which is largely
dedicated to
supporting the
neighbouring
Volkswagen
plant.
APM
Terminals –
part of the Maersk Group
– opened a container
depot in the Coega IDZ in
September 2012.
With larger ships
increasingly being deployed
on the Cheetah service, MSC
has been able to move more
West African-related cargo to
the Far East along its southern
route, using the port of
Ngqura as the transhipment
hub.
According to MSC Logistics
director Mervyn Padayachee,
the depot
will act as a
logistics hub for
the transport
division of MSC
South Africa.
It will
include a reefer
inspection,
washing and
packing facility.
He says the
establishment
of the container
park closer to the Port of
Ngqura than the Uitenhage
facility will help reduce
container movements and
intermodal costs, and enable
the company to have a better
response rate to the demands
of freight distribution
activities.
Other warehouse and
logistics-related investments
in the Coega IDZ include
a General Motors facility
serving the company’s
operations in Africa, PE
Cold Storage largely for
citrus exports, and UTi
Distribution.
Construction is in progress
on a R32-million expansion
for Digistics Logistics, with
new buildings for Vector
Logistics [R130million]
and ID Logistics worth
R53m, according to Coega
Development Corporation
spokesperson Ayanda Vilakazi.
INSERT
Construction is
in progress on a
R32m expansion for
Digistics Logistics.
– Ayanda Vilakazi
CAPTION
Coega Development Corporation spokesperson Ayanda Vilakazi.