Damco Expands into the Horn of Africa

Logistics Insight Asia - Industry News, 12/3/2010

Customers in the area will initially benefit from Damco’s ocean freight forwarding, customs clearance and extensive inland transportation services. Djibouti's position on the major East-West trade lane between Europe, the Middle East and Asia has turned the port into a key transportation hub in the area. The country also benefits from its status as a free-trade zone and is a key transhipment location for the region.

Nils Havsager, CEO of Damco Africa explains, "Djibouti is the key gateway into the Horn of Africa, in particular for Ethiopia, and benefits from modern shipping terminals and an array of shipping lines servicing the port. Furthermore, it is closely linked with the economies of the Middle East where Damco also has a strong presence. The opening of the Djibouti office follows on from the company’s expansion into Zimbabwe and Mozambique at the end of 2009 and re-affirms Damco's commitment to Africa as well as our strategy of expanding the company's presence in emerging markets.”

Mandeep Singh, head of Damco’s Djibouti operations, elaborates on how the company’s presence will benefit customers, "Trade through Djibouti has grown steadily over the years, and we believe that there is a gap here in terms of complementing this growth with a professionally managed company providing efficient landside services. We will be launching a number of reefer solutions, providing a competitive mode of transport, supporting customers in Ethiopia.”

“One of the developments witnessed in the Ethiopian market is the growth in Floriculture. Previously, customers were reliant on air freighting flowers to the global market in Holland – now, we will be able to run reefer containers via land from Addis Ababa into Djibouti and from there, via ocean freight, to Rotterdam. As well as significantly reducing transportation cost, this will also allow us to remove a substantial amount of CO2 emissions out of their supply chains. We believe that our entry into this market will be well received by the trading community in Djibouti as well as land-locked Ethiopia," says Singh.

Damco, www.damco.com