Walvis Bay corridor opens new options to DRC and Tanzania

CAPITALISING ON new opportunities created by the opening up of the Walvis Bay Corridor, overborder roadfreight specialist AMR has signed a deal with a Namibian-based trucking operation for the movement of cargo into the rest of Africa. “We have access to a fleet of 10 trucks and are serving the Democratic Republic of Congo and Tanzania from Walvis Bay,” says AMR MD Florence Ross. “We’ve aligned ourselves with a highly competent operator and are achieving turnaround times to the DRC of 4-5 days. We’ve also signed a contract with a freight forwarder and are moving five trucks a week to the DRC. Tanzania is also building up for us.” While AMR still serves Tanzania from South Africa, for shippers who have opted for Walvis Bay discharge, it’s an efficient route, she says. “The trucks are controlled from South Africa which allows us to bring them here to load for Angola.” The company’s most lucrative routes include Angola, DRC, Tanzania and Mozambique with the mining industry a strong driver. “We’ve also opened up nicely in Lesotho and Swaziland.” In terms of the challenges facing transporters into Africa, Ross has one piece of advice: “Know and understand the rules and regulations and you can minimise any delays. “You need to be totally prepared before you despatch your truck. “Delays in the DRC are largely caused by importers who haven’t paid their duties and taxes. Borders will always be a problem to the inexperienced operator.” Having just celebrated AMR’s second year in business, Ross is bullish about the future. “Africa has been very good to us and with a number of new deals with major operators about to be signed, we expect more of the same in the year ahead.”