Tobacco exports will help container imbalance

Kevin Mayhew LOCAL EXPORTS should receive a dramatic boost when the proposed Tobacco Processing factory is established in Zambia in the next few years, says Global Logistics managing director Marcel van Vlaanderen. The Lusaka based clearing and forwarding company which Van Vlaanderen heads has seven offices in Zambia, a total staff complement of over 60 and is the official liner agent for Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) in Zambia. “My hope is that more and more tobacco will be packed locally and I have been heartened by the news that the industry intends to do just that,” Van Vlaanderen said. Packing of containers locally will address one of the major weaknesses of containerised movements into most sub-Saharan countries that are importers of containerised cargo but exporters of commodities unsuited to containers. Packing in Zambia will enable import containers to be utilised rather than having to pay cabotage fees for their return. Global Logistics has invested in its own warehousing totalling in excess of 6000m2 in Lusaka to handle imports and exports. It has also established container depots in Lusaka and Ndola in association with Rainbow Investments, with a stock of over 350 containers to assist the export trade from Zambia. A major portion of the containerised export traffic from Zambia is handled by Global Logistics utilising an MSC liner through bill of lading. This involves the forwarding of containerised cargoes of cotton yarn, semi-precious stones, wet blue hides, coffee and personal effects to overseas destinations.