Walvis opens new container depot
WALVIS BAY Corridor Group (WBCG) has announced commissioning of the new container terminal.
In an interview, WBCG development manager for Zambia James Kaposa said this will enable the corridor connecting Zambia, Zimbabwe, Malawi and DRC connect to the rest of the world.
Mr. Kaposa said Zambian importers and exporters must take keen interest in the use of this corridor as the best alternative.
“There are valuable aspects in terms of time saving as the port is less congested and the release of cargo to and from the port is within reasonable time. Secondly there are highly safe security standards and minimal cargo pilferage on this corridor,” he said.
Mr Kaposa said the corridor systems are reliable in terms of effective and efficient service delivery resulting in customers receiving their cargo in reasonable record time.
“I’m happy to announce that we have further increased our capacity to handle a wider variety of goods. Added to that is our new capacity to accept bigger vessels as the new port has deeper depth docking bay,” he said.
Mr Kaposa said this is the only corridor with road connectivity to Angola, Zambia, DRC, Malawi, Zimbabwe and South Africa.
He said the most significant improvement that would come with this new facility would be migration from manual to computerized systems, which will enhance the efficiency of performance and improve quick movement of cargo into and out of the port.
“Zambia has now a rare opportunity to engage with the Walvis Bay Corridor Group on the utilization of the port. We reiterate that our port is less congested, we are committed to high safety and security standards, and the reliability of our systems is equal to none.
More importantly there is a cost saving aspect because we are offering competitive rates.
“We are no longer restricted to handling cargo from only Europe, there are several vessels from the Far East. Our catchment area is now beyond the traditional horizon and this is a milestone achievement for the SADC region,” Mr Kaposa said.