Beira’s first controlled
atmosphere warehouses are
being built by Transcom
Sharaf, which is also
celebrating its tenth anniversary.
The controlled atmosphere
warehouses will enable cargo
owners to treat their tobacco
and other agricultural products
without having to use phosphine
gas, according to Guy Harvey the
founder of the company.
“Chemical fumigation is the
current standard in the tobacco
industry,
however beetles
are developing
resistance to
the chemical
phosphine which
is used during
the fumigation
process.
Controlled
atmosphere
treatment will
offer an alternative to chemical
fumigation” he says.
There is also increasing demand
for “organic” tobacco. “Most of
the tobacco grown in the region is
already considered organic by the
industry, and it needs to be treated
as such,” he says.
The 12 chambers will be installed
in the new 16 000 sqm tobacco
warehouse with a capacity of 84 000
metric tons per annum, according
to regional general manager Allison
Pinheiro.
The controlled
atmosphere
chambers
have also been
designed to cater
for fresh produce
storage and
exports.
“We will
have sufficient
capacity to meet the initial demand,”
she says.
The investment in the new
chambers is part of a multi-million
dollar expansion in Beira by
Transcom Sharaf. It will be adding
another 16 000 sqm of warehousing
to supplement the 20 000 sqm
already under roof.
Opened in 2003 in Lilongwe
Malawi, Transcom has expanded
to meet the growing demand for its
services by the industry. It opened
offices in Johannesburg, Tete and
Beira in late 2004.
This was followed by Durban
in 2008 and Harare Zimbabwe in
2011.
In 2007, Transcom Sharaf was
formed through the conclusion of
a partnership agreement between
Transcom and Dubai-based Sharaf
Group.
The partnership built the first
dedicated tobacco warehouse facility
in Beira outside of the port.
Transcom Sharaf can store over
2000 TEUs, and is being expanded
to meet the growing demand for a
full logistics service, says Pinheiro.
At present the facilities in Beira
also handle cotton and bagged
fertiliser amongst other general
cargo imports and exports.
An agreement with a
Mozambiquan trucking company
to take over the management of
the Transcom Sharaf fleet will free
up management time in the Beira
warehouse facility to focus more on
service and adding value, she says.
It will also allow Transcom Sharaf
to offer its services to other sectors of
the market.
Volumes are expected to increase
as shippers start making greater
use of the port of Beira, which is
operating much more efficiently
following the commissioning of
new ship to-shore gantries and
continued investment by Cornelder
de Mozambique. according to Guy
Harvey.
INSERT & CAPTION
We will have sufficient
capacity to meet the initial
demand.
– Allison Pinheiro
