Land-based investments are
the core business
SAFMARINE AND Maersk Sealand have formed a new land-based transport company named South African Transport Investments with the intention of seeking strategic investment opportunities in landside transport infrastructure in the southern African region.
Parent company AP Moller Group, which manages both lines independently, has appointed Tony Farr as chairman and Brett Gray as managing director of the new South African-registered concern.
The company has already commenced work on a multi-million rand container services facility in Cape Town and several other investment opportunities are being investigated at present.
According to Gray, a major objective is to build a specialist reefer container storage depot and repair facility which can handle all types of containers for the benefit of shippers, using the services of Safmarine and Maersk Sealand.
Although reefer cargo shipments dominate containerised exports from southern Africa in terms of volume, there is no local repair facility for sophisticated problems which have to be sent overseas for repair.
The planned facility will therefore save clients time and foreign exchange, says Gray, while third party reefer container repairs from other carriers will also be undertaken.
Phase one of the container storage and repair depot will be operative by the second quarter of 2001.
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