Namport expects 4 vehicle carrier vessels in October
The Namibia Por t s Authority ( Namport) expects four vehicle carriers in October, after four vessels already docked at the port in September, the authority said.
In a media statement on Friday, Namport said amidst the Covid-19 pandemic it has managed to safely receive 17 vehicle carrier vessels over the past six months.
“Although these numbers do not show an increase, it is worth noting that these vessels were allowed to dock at the port of Walvis Bay despite the pandemic; this allowance is due to the strict health practices the port authority ascribes to.
The presence of these vessels that are primarily used to convey vehicles in bulk indicates that the market for a vehicle is still favourable in the Southern African Development Community (SADC) region,” the statement reads.
The most recent vehicle carrier vessel that docked in the Namibian waters is the RRC Compass which discharged a total of 217 vehicles destined for different markets within southern Africa, it added.
“With Namibia located at the very strategic location that it is, the country is given a favourable advantage to be a connecting point to other neighbouring land-linked countries such as Zambia, Zimbabwe, Botswana and DRC Congo that make frequent use of the seamless offerings of Namport,” it said.
Vehicle carrier vessels can berth at designated areas only due to the access ramp that has to be lowered. These vessels are designed to carry wheeled cargo, such as cars, trucks, semi-trailer trucks, trailers and railroad cars, which are driven on and off the ship on their wheels or using a platform vehicle, such as a selfpropelled modular transporter.
“This is in contrast to lift-on and lift-off vessels, which use a crane to load and unload cargo.
The vessels have either builtin or shore-based ramps that allow the cargo to be efficiently rolled on and off the vessel when in port and can carry up to 5 500 vehicles per load,” Namport explained.
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