New CEO, new schedule for OACL

ALAN PEAT
THERE’S BEEN a senior management reshuffle at Durban’s Grindrod group. Following his appointment as director in charge of Grindrod Freight Services, Dave Rennie has announced his successor at Ocean Africa Container Lines (OACL) – the African coastal container shipping service jointly owned by Grindrod and Safmarine. Andrew Thomas, previously marketing and new business development executive, has been appointed CEO. Rennie will remain on the OACL board of directors. In an initial move to secure its future growth strategy, Thomas said Ocean Africa had revised its service schedules to cater to growing demand, and to counter the impact of regional port congestion. On the East Coast the line has increased coverage to the demand areas of Maputo and Beira with one vessel deployed to operate Durban/Maputo/Beira/Durban, and two to operate Durban/Maputo/Beira/Nacala/Dar Es Salaam/Nacala/Beira/Maputo/ Durban. On the West Coast, meantime, an express service has been established with a core string of four vessels out of Durban linking the West Coast port rotation of Cape Town, Luderitz, Walvis Bay, Namibe, Lobito and Luanda. Said Thomas: “Mai Rickmers, a sister ship of the already deployed Peter Rickmers, will be brought into service in December this year, replacing a smaller vessel in the four-vessel West Coast rotation.”