Southern Africa specialists offer prompt rate responses

TERRY HUTSON KESTREL MARITIME, the commercial agency and project cargo broker, has geared itself up to offer project clients the highest levels of commercial assistance in terms of prompt rate responses and commercial assistance for their project cargo shipment requirements, says Natasha Flack-Vaughan, commercial manager/broker for Kestrel Maritime. “We certainly look forward to working with the project carriers we represent and clients to offer a hassle free shipment,” she told FTW Similarly on the ships agency and port operations side, Mainport Africa Shipping has a long-standing history of providing carriers and project clients with a personalised, cost effective and hands-on service on ships agency and port operations, supervision and supercargo services, says ships agency manager Fiona Calitz. “We look to improving our expertise and service levels on an ongoing basis.” Both companies certainly anticipate becoming household names as the project cargo shipping specialists in the southern African market. Mainport Africa Shipping and Kestrel Maritime are among the longest serving ships’ agents and cargo brokers/commercial agents in South Africa, specialising in project cargoes both on imports and exports to and from southern Africa. These two companies represent a number of project carriers with modern well-geared project vessels from 3 500 tons to 20 000 tons and from 70 ton swl to 500 ton swl. With the increased project cargo activity in South Africa, including project cargoes to inland destinations, carriers are showing interest in increasing their activities in southern Africa, with regular sailings to and from West Africa, east and west coast South America, the Arabian Gulf, East Africa and Indian Ocean islands, South-East Asia and Australasia, says Mainport Africa Shipping MD, Brian Hawkins.