Africa-Press – Namibia. THE Namibian Ports Authority (Namport) commissioned two reach stackers and three forklifts at Walvis Bay on Friday.
The equipment, which cost N$16 million, was described by the company’s chief executive officer, Andrew Kanime, as a meaningful step towards effective service delivery. Kanime said Namport has implemented a strategic plan to achieve its vision of being one of the best-performing seaports in Africa.
“The commissioning of the additional equipment is firmly aligned to all the pillars of our strategy. It will definitely amplify and strengthen our capacity to deliver services to our clients, drive the efficiency with which we render services, and provide more satisfaction to our customers from the improved service delivery.
“The equipment will reduce downtime in operations, streamline our repairs and maintenance costs, and rationalise the waiting time of customers and the cost of doing business with our ports,” he said. Kanime said Namport has been concerned about equipment breakdowns in its engagements, which have been frustrating the company and its customers.
“While the need for replacement of our fleet of equipment is indisputable and a serious priority, we unfortunately cannot achieve that overnight, given the realities of the competing requirements for the limited financial resources and the depressed economic market conditions.
“These latest acquisitions and additions to our fleet of equipment are, however, a tangible reaffirmation of our seriousness and resolve to address the challenge of old equipment and the disruption of operations,” he said.
The equipment was acquired from Liebherr-Africa and Forklift and Allied. The two reach stackers and two of the forklifts will be used at the port of Walvis Bay, while the other forklift will be allocated to the port of Lüderitz.
The partnership between Namport and Liebherr-Africa Maritime cranes started over 20 years ago, with the first Liebherr harbour mobile crane delivered and commissioned in 1997. Namport now owns eight Liebherr harbour mobile cranes and two reach stackers.
Liebherr-Africa Maritime cranes sales manager Daren Jankelow said the collective objective and expectation of the new investment from the Namibian ports authority for the two Liebherr reach stackers was clearly to enhance capacity and productivity to the container-handling operation at Walvis Bay.
“The remarkable achievements of Namport and its operations throughout recent years is a success story itself. I have no doubt that this investment, topped with support from Liebherr-Africa, will contribute to the port of Walvis Bay’s goal to be the gateway to southern Africa, while offering world-class port services to all seaborne trade,” he said.
The managing member of Forklift and Allied, Klaus Papendick, said he was proud of the business relationship between the two companies. “We have been in a relationship since 1993, supplying these cranes, and we are proud to be your supplier. It has been a long relationship and we hope it will carry on for a long time,” he said.
The total in 20-foot equivalent units (TEUs) Namport handled for the 10 months ending on 31 January 2022 has increased by 4 879 TEUs, while bulk and break-bulk volumes have increased by 173 587 tonnes.
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