NileDutch newbuild calls at Durban

Due on its maiden call to the
Port of Durban this week is
the newly built NileDutch
Breda – a 3 510-TEU capacity,
self-geared ship deployed on
the line’s busy Far East-West
Africa service.
She and her three sister ships
– due to be completed later this
year – have an overall length of
224 metres, a beam (width) of
34.8m and a draught of 12.5m.
With these dimensions and
deck equipment the four new
vessels are tailored to the ports
they will serve in West Africa.
And this will suit SA export
trade to West Africa which is a
burgeoning market, according
to Jeevan Singh, Durban-based
sales and marketing executive
for NileDutch.
“Angola is a prime niche
market for us, and we are a
very important player in that
country,” he told FTW. “We
also use Luanda as a hub to the
other ports at the southern end
of the West African coastline,
and Pointe Noire in the
Republic of the Congo as the
transhipment hub for those in
the north.”
With a 30-year history and
an extensive office network in
West Africa, NileDutch Africa
Line provides liner services
between a wide range of West
African ports and SA, Europe,
South America and Asia.
“Also, Chinese businesses
are important suppliers to
NileDutch, as we make major
investments in that country,”
he said. “In addition to the
four vessels being built by
Shanghai Shipyard, NileDutch
also purchases large quantities
of containers from Chinese
manufacturers, the world’s
largest suppliers.