Slick port operation attracts business to Walvis Bay

“If the thing floats, we can do it,” says Dirk Kotze, branch manager of Grindrod Ships Agencies in Walvis Bay. He took over the helm of what was previously known as King and Sons in October 2010, and has been working with his team to ensure that the company is ready for growth in traffic through the port. Hard lessons were learned by the whole industry during the previous boom times of 2008/2009, when there were delays and congestion in the port, he says. “We weren’t ready for the volumes then. “Now Namport has invested in a lot of equipment and is currently dredging out the port. The new Navis container planning system in the harbour is also working well. You have to take your hat off to them,” he says. This “can do” attitude is reflected across the spectrum of businesses in Walvis Bay, and Kotze is one of the many interviewed by FTW who is confident that the volumes and diversity of business will grow in the port. For its part, Grindrod Ships Agencies has been focusing on its organisational structure and training to ensure it has the skills to deliver on its promise to provide a full range of services to everything from a passenger vessel to a barge. Grindrod also provides ships’ agency services for the floating docks and synchro lift in the port of Walvis Bay. “We are now ready for growth under our new brand,” says the former commercial diver, who joined Grindrod in Walvis Bay a decade ago.