Walvis Bay corridors target project cargo

A strategy to attract more
abnormal and project cargo
through the port of Walvis Bay and
along the Walvis Bay corridors is
bearing fruit, according to Johny
Smith, chief executive officer of the
Walvis Bay Corridor Group (WBCG).
“Part of our strategic initiative for
the current fiveyear
plan has
been to facilitate
the growth of
abnormal and
project cargo
through Walvis
Bay,” he says.
“We have been
in contact with
various shipping
lines, abnormal
load transporters
and other
service providers
to create more awareness about
this opportunity and have seen a
significant increase in abnormal
loads via the Walvis Bay route with
goods destined to other SADC
markets such as Zambia, Botswana,
South Africa and the Democratic
Republic of Congo,” he says.
In 2015 boilers, machinery and
other equipment to the value of R2.4
billion was handled by the port of
Walvis Bay – close to vehicle imports
totalling R2.7 bn, which accounted
for the largest share of Namibian
imports.
According to Smith Walvis Bay
allows shippers from Europe and
North America
to “supply bulk,
containerised
and breakbulk
shipments such as
abnormal loads to
our neighbouring
countries in the
shortest possible
time.
“The Port of
Walvis Bay has
over the past year
acquired a number
of mobile cranes to
support the multipurpose dimension
of cargo handling while we have seen
more abnormal truckers exploring
Walvis Bay as a faster and safer entry
route into the SADC region.”
International heavy-lift, specialised
transport and plant installation
company Vanguard is one of the
companies that uses the Walvis
Bay route for the transportation of
abnormal loads.
The company has a contract
to move 15 power transformers
weighing 110 tons each from Walvis
Bay to the Democratic Republic of
Congo.
At the start of the contract,
Vanguard made use of the heavy-lift
facility in Walvis Bay to discharge the
vessel.
The transformers were moved
into temporary storage in the port
precinct.
Director at Vanguard, Craig Pace,
says that having heavy-lift facilities
makes for greater efficiency,
especially in terms of timeous
discharging of ships, lower
mobilisation costs and quicker
access to the quayside.
In response to demand from
customers working in Namibia,
the DRC, Zambia and other
southern African countries
Vanguard this year extended its
facilities on a 1 000 sqm site in the
Port of Walvis Bay.
“As mineral shipments through
the port at Walvis Bay from DRC
and Zambia increase, this port is
likely to become an important node
for southern Africa – and hence the
upgrade of our facilities,” said Pace.
INSERT & CAPTION
In 2015 boilers, machinery
and other equipment to
the value of R2.4 billion
was handled by the port of
Walvis Bay.
– Johny Smith
CAPTION
Project cargo on the road in Namibia.