Walvis Bay Corridor targets one million tons

Volumes of freight travelling along the Walvis Bay-Ndola- Lubumbashi Development Corridor are expected to grow from 720 000 tons in 2013 to over a million in 2014, according to Andrew Sinyangwe Jr, Walvis Bay Corridor Group business development manager. “We are now handling every kind of cargo, and not just copper and chemicals,” he says. Volumes of fast moving consumer goods and vehicles are both growing. There is also an increase in project cargo. “The corridor is being used for abnormal loads bound for the new mines in the central parts of Zambia. “For one project we will be carrying over 80 000 tons of out-of-gauge cargo along the route shortly,” he says. There is also greater balance in the movement of freight as the mines and other exporters use Walvis Bay to export cargo bound for Europe and the Americas although the trade imbalance still remains a problem with a need for export cargo to create a balance. The volumes have attracted fresh investment by hauliers. Namibian and Zambian companies are forming joint ventures in order to service the route, he says. And he believes this will help reduce the transport costs along the corridor. Rates will be driven down by a combination of competition and greater efficiencies. “Zambian transporters are introducing their own customers to the route through the new partnerships. That means the trucks have freight going both ways,” he says. INSERT & CAPTION The corridor is being used for abnormal loads bound for the new mines in the central parts of Zambia. – Andrew Sinyangwe Jr CAPTION Growth in freight volumes expected on Walvis Bay-Ndola- Lubumbashi corridor