Copper cathodes destined for USA exported via Walvis Bay

Otis Daniels_Finck
The second breakbulk shipment of copper cathodes were recently exported via the Port of Walvis Bay

Namport announced that it recorded a significant milestone when the Unisea vessel docked at the Port earlier this week and loaded more than 8 500 metric tonnes of copper cathodes destined for the Port of Panama in the United States of America.

The shipment is the second consignment of copper being exported via Walvis Bay in a breakbulk format as an alternative to containerized export.

The copper cathodes arrived from the Mopani copper mine in Zambia and were transported to Walvis Bay via road and loaded onto the Unisea.

According to Namport, it has become natural for shippers to opt for their consignments to be carried by bulk vessels to ensure continuity of operations and less dependency on containers due to the ongoing global shortage of containers.

“With Namibia’s ports being strategically located along the west coast of Africa and supplemented by the country’s excellent road infrastructure which is rated number one in Africa, Namibia continues to play a leading role in the facilitation of trade via our transport corridors serving hinterland markets within SADC,” said Elias Mwenyo, Namport executive for Commercial Services

Namibia has four transport corridors that connect to the Trans Kunene corridor, connecting Namibia to Angola; the Walvis Bay Ndola Lubumbashi Development Corridor connecting Namibia to Zambia and southern Democratic Republic of Congo; the Trans Kalahari Corridor connecting Namibia to Botswana and the Trans Oranje corridor which connects Namibia to South Africa.

“Namibian ports are not only strategically located, but the Ports Authority has furthered this advantage by investing in state-of-the-art infrastructure and equipment in order to provide a superior customer service experience to everyone making use of its facilities at both ports,” Mwenyo concluded.