Walvis Bay fishing industry demands sophisticated logistics solutions

Ores and mining products also part of product mix
LEONARD NEILL
THE INCREASINGLY sophisticated fishing industry in Walvis Bay is placing increasing commercial pressure on service providers who need to come up with efficient process solutions at competitive rates. Manica Group Namibia (MGN) has recently introduced new systems to meet these requirements. One example is that of one prime client who operates freezer vessels in Namibian waters, catching hake and manufacturing the frozen ‘value added’ product on board the vessels. Due to the perishable nature of the product timing is important and it is shipped on reefer vessels from Walvis Bay to heavy demand clients in Europe. Clients requiring smaller quantities receive their supplies in reefer containers directly to-door, reducing time-to-market and creating a competitive advantage of delivering the freshest product to the final customer. Besides the smaller, high value consignments of perishable cargo, large scale commodities like ores and mining products are also handled by MGN logistics division. The company monitors finished product supply chains for various mining companies and acts as an information hub between the mine, traders, transport providers and banks. Inbound logistics is performed for some mining clients, where the client draws on expertise for the import of consumables, spares and equipment. MGN also offers logistics solutions to the offshore oil industry and has been awarded several shore-based contracts. The most recent in this sector was the contract awarded by Transocean Offshore International to service the oil rig ‘Sedneth 701’ which was berthed in harbour for a scheduled repair and maintenance plan. With the exclusion of the engineering requirements on this project MGN was the main contract holder for all services related to the project.