Business, Freight News, Logistics, Sea

New agency deal for Safmarine’s project arm

[ February 26, 2013   //   Chris ]

Safmarine owners AP Moller-Maersk is to set up a separate agency network for the line’s West African project arm, Safmarine MPV.

Safmarine MPV has appointed Socopao South Africa to provide a complete shipping agency service in the South African market and main ports, and to handle the MPV vessels from April. Socopao is part of Bolloré Africa Logistics, one of the leading integrated logistics networks in Africa and shipping agencies.

Socopoa’s appointment is also in line with Safmarine’s owner, Danish-based AP Moller-Maersk Group to establish Antwerp-based Safmarine MPV as an independent business unit with its own, separate agency network. As a result, Safmarine MPV is leaving the Maersk Line/Safmarine agency network, which will continue to represent the AP Moller-Maersk Group’s Container Business.

Managing director of Safmarine MPV, Jorg Knuttel, said the combination of Safmarine MPV and Socopao’s complementary skills would create a trustworthy product and help South African businesses take advantage of the many opportunities in the West African project cargo market in which Safmarine MPV specialises.

He said: “From a project cargo perspective, South African companies have the technology, the infrastructure and the connections they need to maximise the opportunities and we see enormous potential for increasing business between South Africa and West Africa on the back of the new Safmarine MPV-Socopao South Africa partnership.”

Knuttel added: “The decision to establish a separate agency network has the advantage of allowing the Maersk Line and Safmarine liner agencies to continue focusing on the container business, while Safmarine MPV focuses on project and break bulk cargoes,” explains Knuttel.

Deploying a dedicated fleet of multipurpose vessels, which can carry project, break bulk and containerised cargoes, Safmarine MPV connects the US, Europe and South Africa with the main oil and gas ports in West Africa.

Tags: AP Moller-Maersk, Safmarine