Walvis Bay Port records increase in vehicle imports in 2018/19 financial year
The Namibian Ports Authority recorded 274,504 freight tonnes of vehicles handled at the Port of Walvis Bay in the 2018/2019 financial year, recording a significant increase of 39% in comparison to the 2017/2018 financial year.
Immanuel Hanabeb, Commercial: Executive at the Ports Authority said this increase is due to the aggressive marketing of the company’s adequate facilities and services. About 321 units of vehicles were recently discharged from the Glovis Century Roll-on/Roll-off (RORO). The agents for the vessel, NMT Shipping, confirmed that the units are destined for landlocked countries.
According to Hanabeb, only 24% of the vehicles remained locally as about 35% of the total freight tonnes went to Zimbabwe, 22% Zambia, 11% Botswana, 5% Malawi and 3% to the Democratic Republic of Congo.
“NMT Shipping recorded their highest load of 558 units discharged for this year in January 2019. Two more RORO vessels are expected to call the Port of Walvis Bay during the month of July. The location of the Port of Walvis Bay allows it to provide an easy and fast transit route between southern Africa, Europe, Asia and the Americas,” Hanabeb said.
