New manager touches base with local clients
DAVID KOREN has taken over as manager of the Zimstar service between Israel and east and South Africa, based at Zim Israel Navigation head office in Haifa.
Koren, who was in South Africa last week to touch base with local clients, takes over from Naftali Kohavi.
While trade on the route has shrunk in recent years, Eddie Cairns, regional manager of agents Polaris Shipping in Durban, is optimistic of an upward growth trend later this year.
Changing customer needs motivated the replacement of the line's fully cellular vessels early this year with two well-geared multi-purpose ships - the Durban Star II and the Kenya Star I.
We adjusted the fleet for the benefit of customers whose cargo could not be containerised - the likes of steel, granite and timber which is suited to breakbulk Cairns told FTW.
While Israel is the line's core market, the new geared vessels have introduced greater flexibility into the service, which also calls at Aqaba, Djibouti and Mombasa.
Cairns urged shippers with high volume cargo for other ports to take advantage of the line's flexibility and competitive rates structure.
