Eveline de Klerk
Walvis Bay-Namibia’s port authority, Namport, has broadened its trade routes by attracting new shipping lines.Namport on Saturday morning welcomed the 260-metre container vessel, Cosco Kawasaki, at the port. The vessel can carry 4,253 twenty-feet containers and sails under the flag of Panama. It was built in 2010 by Samsung. The huge container vessel is expected to make regular calls at Walvis Bay following a joint shipping service agreement between Pacific International Lines from Singapore, which operates in the shipping and container manufacturing industry, and Cosco Shipping. According to Namport’s commercial executive Immanuel !Hanabeb, the arrival of the new shipping line signals new business opportunities through Walvis Bay harbour, while it at the same time cements Namport’s dedication to make Namport the port of choice and SADC’s gateway to the world, despite the current difficult regional economic situation.