Shippers cotton on to Walvis Bay’s ‘speed to market’ proposition

Walvis Bay is working hard at positioning itself as a gateway from the East, as well as the West. With the Far East accounting for some 50% of all goods flowing to southern Africa, it is a market that cannot be ignored. “The Far East plays a significant role in the development of the region, and therefore we must address the challenges we face and prove that our ports in southern Africa can meet their needs. It may require some flexibility on our part, but it is necessary if we want to continue seeing significant volumes from the East,” says Christian Faure, executive: marketing and strategic business development at Namport. Exporters and importers from the Far East have traditionally used the geographically closer ports on Africa’s east coast, and do not realise the improved speed to market offered by greater efficiencies in Walvis Bay and along the corridors which connect it to the hinterland. The message is getting through: “We are seeing significant volume growth in our Walvis Bay-Ndola- Lubumbashi Corridor. We now match volumes both to and from countries like Zambia and Democratic Republic of Congo.” There is room for more: “With lines such as CMA CGM and Maersk having introduced larger vessels there is significant capacity, and it is all systems go for the region. “There is a move to providing a through service offering for the cargo owners. Namport and Walvis Bay meet the needs for speed to market in this respect,” says Faure. More work needs to be done on educating some lines however. “Shipping lines tend to price Walvis Bay in the same league as West Africa ports such as Lagos, Abidjan and Tema, despite those ports being at six days sailing further away,” he says. But, the message is reaching the market: “Our volumes are picking up nicely after a challenging six month period in which we completed our terminal optimisation programme,” he says.