Walvis Bay corridors sees increase in transit cargo

The Walvis Bay-Ndola-Lubumbashi Development Corridor has seen an increase in cargo, as transporters move essential goods destined for our neighbouring countries along the route.

The current lockdown measures in place in the region, due to the global pandemic, has resulted in changes to transport routes, as logisticians scramble to keep supply chains operational. The port of Walvis Bay and its corridors is seen as an efficient and secure trade route into southern Africa, hence the increase in new companies moving their cargo onto our route.

A noticeable newcomer on the route is Zalawi Haulage. They are one of the main transporters that operate on the North-South Corridor which starts at the port of Durban and runs up into central Africa. The transporter is presently moving 1 700 tonnes of copper cathode from southern DRC to the port of Walvis Bay. This relates to approximately 50 truck loads over a period of a month.

Zalawi Haulage is a subsidiary of Bolloré Africa Logistics, the biggest transport and logistics operator in Africa. The group has a network of 250 subsidiaries in 55 countries, including 46 in Africa.

The Walvis Bay Corridor Group has actively engaged the company for a while and were recently given the opportunity to be of service. Bolloré Africa together with their transporter Zalawi Haulage, needed a quick intervention to facilitate the movement of copper cathodes from Kolwezi. The WBCG and Namport’s business development team assisted the company to ensure all the needed facilities, services and paperwork was in place. “It took us five days to sort this out, which is quick considering the current conditions”, explains WBCG’s Business Development Manager for South Africa, Irvaan Maharaj.

“The customer is impressed with the level of service and efficient service provided by all parties”, says Mr. Maharaj. The WBCG thanks the Ministry of Trade and Industrialization in Namibia for their swift assistance in providing the required certification to allow the transporter to operate on the corridor. Although the pandemic has created an unfortunate situation, it has provided the Walvis Bay Corridors the opportunity to grow its footprint as a gateway in the region. Potential customers are becoming more aware of the benefits of utilising our corridors and the ports of Walvis Bay and Lüderitz. This will certainly lead to increased business opportunities in the near future and industry growth.