Contra Consolidations has introduced new services to support the movement of import cargo between Europe, the Mediterranean and South Africa “We now offer weekly LCL direct services from all major European ports, with the newly introduced option of weekly express services to and via Ngqura,” says Martin Schulze, chief executive officer of Contra Consolidations.“To Johannesburg and Cape Town there is no additional cost for the faster routing, while the express option into Cape Town has been introduced at a small premium for an expedited delivery due to the reduced transit time,” he says. “With Ngqura being the first port of call, a road service to final destination bypasses the delays currently experienced at Durban and Cape Town and is an excellent option for time-sensitive and high-value cargo, while still proving to be cost effective.” Schulze says volumes from Europe are on the increase. “We have traditionally been one of the strongest consolidators on the European trades. “We constantly evaluate ours and our agents’ performance and are able to quickly adapt and introduce innovations when changes in the market occur. “Even with the economic pressures in Europe, our volumes remain healthy.” European economies are facing a number of challenges.“Both economic and productivity challenges are currently impacting their exports, which are our imports.“Freight agents at origin are struggling with high salaries, along with declining volumes and staff productivity challenges. “Shipments are more complex to handle than five years ago. Many of our customers are turning to Contra Consolidations to handle the ex-works portion as we can manage this more efficiently and at a lower cost.” Overall, he is very positive about prospects for the Europe-SA trade lanes.“With constant market shifts and carrier challenges, there are many opportunities to proactively introduce new solutions.”But it is not all plain sailing.Wars in the Middle East and Ukraine, as well as economic trends, are putting pressure on European freight agents. “Europe is experiencing a large impact from the Far East. “This market disruption and chaos puts freight agents in Europe under immense pressure. “We are very fortunate to work with the strongest independent consolidator in each port and we’re therefore well-positioned to adapt to the changing markets and manage the disruption.” Booking with a consolidator helps shippers to navigate the stormy waters. With prebooked space and focus around schedule integrity, most of the challenges are handled by the consolidator, he says.“The consolidation market plays an increasingly significant role in the freight matrix. Markets continue to shift and economic inf luences keep changing the landscape. “Shippers need to partner with freight forwarders and consolidators who understand these shifts and economic inf luences in order to ensure that they are able to move their cargo as efficiently as possible.”
