Joy Orlek IT WAS all about teamwork, commitment and a joint determination to succeed against all odds when Seaclad Maritime and Consortium Hispania Lines (CHL) senior executives took up a challenge set two years ago to complete the arduous Cape Town Argus cycle tour in celebration of their 10 years of association. “The cycle race is like a metaphor for shipping,” Barcelona-based CHL commercial director Sebastian Moll de Alba Gallego told FTW after the race finish. “There’s plenty of beautiful scenery along the way but to overcome the difficulties you need to stay focused - and team support plays a huge role.” Within the SA – Europe Container Service, the Spanish carrier offers a containerised weekly option between Southern Africa, West and East Mediterranean, North Spain and Portugal.Cargo is transhipped at its hub in Las Palmas into the Mediterranean and Iberian peninsula. The last decade has seen encouraging growth in bilateral trade between Spain and South Africa with Spain now rated 10th among South Africa’s European Union business partners, said CHL director Erick Roda Cabezas, who was in South Africa last week to celebrate the milestone. Significant to note is the growth in manufactured products moving to Spain, driven largely by the export of automotive accessories from South Africa. And Moll de Alba is confident of continued expansion in the years ahead. “Against a background of mergers and acquisitions, we believe there is scope for a niche operator like ourselves. With locally appointed ships agents like Seaclad Maritime in all the countries in which we operate, we can add value to the service mix.”
