Grindrod and WBCG sign MoU

THE Walvis Bay Corridor Group and Grindrod signed a memorandum of understanding in Johannesburg on Wednesday to develop the Trans-Kalahari Corridor, a freight route between Walvis Bay, Botswana and Gauteng in South Africa.

Grindrod will perform the logistics management and marketing function supported by the Corridor Group. Importers and exporters in Gauteng and Botswana can now anticipate reduced transit times at competitive costs for cargo moving from or to Europe and the Americas, according to a press statement issued by the group on Friday.”This corridor will offer importers and exporters in Gauteng and Botswana an alternative port to that of Durban, specifically for cargo moving to or from Europe and the Americas,” it noted.The Executive Director of Grindrod, John Jones, said that using this corridor could reduce transit times by more than four days.In order to offer a complete supply chain solution for customers, Grindrod will harness the services of shipping lines, Namport, TransNamib, road haulers and clearing-and-forwarding agents, managing the movement of cargo between the port of Walvis Bay and the final destination or origin in Botswana or Gauteng, according to Jones.He added that key enablers of this process are integrated Information Technology systems and skilled logistics operators.The Chairman of the Corridor Group and Managing Director of Namport, Sebby Kankondi, said this agreement would benefit both parties in that Grindrod would bring increased volumes to the corridor and in turn would benefit from gaining exposure to a new market.The Walvis Bay Corridor Group was set up as a private-sector initiative in Namibia in 1998 to promote the use of the corridor and is based in Windhoek.The group markets the corridor and facilitates the logistics chain of imports and exports for Namibia and its landlocked neighbours.-NampaImporters and exporters in Gauteng and Botswana can now anticipate reduced transit times at competitive costs for cargo moving from or to Europe and the Americas, according to a press statement issued by the group on Friday.”This corridor will offer importers and exporters in Gauteng and Botswana an alternative port to that of Durban, specifically for cargo moving to or from Europe and the Americas,” it noted.The Executive Director of Grindrod, John Jones, said that using this corridor could reduce transit times by more than four days.In order to offer a complete supply chain solution for customers, Grindrod will harness the services of shipping lines, Namport, TransNamib, road haulers and clearing-and-forwarding agents, managing the movement of cargo between the port of Walvis Bay and the final destination or origin in Botswana or Gauteng, according to Jones.He added that key enablers of this process are integrated Information Technology systems and skilled logistics operators.The Chairman of the Corridor Group and Managing Director of Namport, Sebby Kankondi, said this agreement would benefit both parties in that Grindrod would bring increased volumes to the corridor and in turn would benefit from gaining exposure to a new market.The Walvis Bay Corridor Group was set up as a private-sector initiative in Namibia in 1998 to promote the use of the corridor and is based in Windhoek.The group markets the corridor and facilitates the logistics chain of imports and exports for Namibia and its landlocked neighbours.-Nampa