Corridor volumes surge to 95,000 tonnes

Volumes along the Walvis Bay corridors have averaged a monthly record of over 95,000 tonnes for the month of February, the highest volumes ever recorded on a monthly basis. The growth in cargo was driven in part by the Walvis Bay-Ndola-Lubumbashi Development Corridor which achieved an impressive 10,000 tonnes for the month of February 2014. Volumes along the TransKalahari Corridor for the Botswana and Zimbabwe market has also grown with much more consumables and construction material being transported through the Port of Walvis Bay. Although markets such as Angola, Zimbabwe, Zambia and the DRC have experienced stronger growth than other markets, the Gauteng market is increasing slowly. Imports for the Brazil market via the Port of Walvis Bay for the SADC region is also on the rise, which is a result of the branch office that the WBCG established in Sao Paulo two years ago.

Speaking on the significant rise in trade, the managing director of the Walvis Bay Corridor Group said, “Our February volumes once again reaffirm that the Walvis Bay Corridors is the preferred trade route when it comes to importing and exporting through the port of Walvis Bay, to and from Southern Africa. The record increase in these volumes is testimony to the success of our efforts to increase accessibility to our markets via the Walvis Bay corridors.” The Walvis Bay corridors are growing as an alternative trade route for our markets to and from Southern Africa. The Walvis Bay corridors thus have become a prominent alternative for importers and exporters in the region, clearly implying a more efficient and effective service position offering a tremendous reduction in transit times.