Wilhelmsen makes its mark in Maputo

In a sign of growing confidence
in the region, Wilhelmsen Ships
Service (WSS) has just established
a presence in Mozambique’s capital
port city of Maputo.
This is part of a longer-term plan
to set up branches at the other main
port cities along the country’s eastern
seaboard, including Beira, according
to Durban-based MD, Prean Pather.
“The company already has a strong
presence on the east coast of Africa,
from Egypt to South Africa,” he
told FTW, “and this latest move is
designed to keep up with the growth
in Mozambique’s economy.”
Although the country is currently
sharing the weakening effects of
the global recession, it has been
earmarked as an area of considerable
future potential.
Said Pather: “In recent times,
increased volumes of traffic from
SA, Swaziland, Zimbabwe and other
landlocked countries in Southern
Africa have been directed through
Mozambique.
“If the fragile political agreement
in Zimbabwe holds, and the
Zimbabwe economy returns to its
former productivity, imports and
exports through Mozambique
will soar.”
He also pointed out that the shorter
distance to the main mining areas
of SA makes this a cost-effective
route for both imports and exports
inland. Furthermore, the increased
pressure on SA ports has encouraged
more operators to send cargo through
Maputo to inland destinations.
“Initially, the office will specialise
in ship’s agency work and maritime
logistics,” he said. “Later in the year,
we will supply technical services and
products from our Unitor range – and
we will be the only ships’ service
company in Mozambique with
such a broad spread of products
and services.”
The establishment of the Maputo
office followed an in-depth
evaluation of the market.
Said Pather: “We listened to our
customers and determined what their
needs were in this area, particularly
in the field of maritime logistics.”
The opening of the Maputo
office is the culmination of all the
company’s efforts and commitment
to expanding its global network to
partner with its customers in this
region, according to Bert Stadler,
commercial and projects manager
in SA.
“Strategically,” he said, “Maputo
is the right place for us to have
a presence in order to grow our
business by servicing cross-border
movements and customers.”
This was supported by Jaun
Bezuidenhout, the operations
manager in Maputo.
“One of the newest Wilhelmsen
Ships Service projects,” he told
FTW, “this office opened in a very
adverse period.
“The potential is there and we can
only expect that the office will grow
in the very near future.”