With great pride, the Walvis Bay Corridor Group announces that it has successfully assisted the transportation of a massive 50-meter oxygen plant container to Solwezi, the capital of Zambia’s mineral-rich North-Western Province. Along the Walvis Bay-Ndola-Lubumbashi Development Corridor, a distance of approximately 2,900 kilometers, is covered by the 63-meter-long truck carrying the 171-ton weighing plant.
It was sourced from Malaysia and shipped through the Port of Walvis Bay in Namibia, which is one of the most vital logistical centers in this region. It is a gateway for shipment into several African countries, from which cargo can be imported. In fact, it is even smoother and faster than elsewhere for importing goods, mainly to landlocked countries like Zambia. This decision to make use of this port, especially for such cumbersome cargo, underpins the critical role it plays in support of regional trade and transportation. From the port, the container is being transported through Namibia, passing different checkpoints and borders before it reaches Zambia’s mining hub in Solwezi.
Transportation of such huge equipment is an extremely specialized operation. Abnormal cargo would need an extremely cautious plan and tight coordination while at all times conforming to the strictest guidelines about safety and regulation. WBCG, in cooperation with its Transport Company and governmental agency partners, has been taking the leading role in the safe and efficient movement of cargo across national boundaries. This specially built 63-meter truck for oversized cargo transport boasts of the latest technologies and safety features, required in trying to undertake such an unprecedented long and heavy load.
The WBCG has underscored the belief that it regards the Walvis Bay-Ndola-Lubumbashi Development Corridor as an important Southern African trade route. It has, therefore, become one of the leading drivers in the economic development of this region, as it connects the Port of Walvis Bay to Zambia, the DRC, and other landlocked countries. This corridor provides regional exporters and importers with a strategic comparative advantage, as this route is much shorter compared to the alternative ports. It has also proven that it can carry large and huge cargo through the successful transportation of the oxygen plant container, further cementing its reputation as a corridor of choice for efficient routes of trade and investment.
The oxygen plant is headed to one of the major mining companies operating in Solwezi. North-Western Province is richly endowed with mineral deposits, mainly copper, which is an important export product for the country. The oxygen plant is envisaged to serve at the heart of mining operations, especially for bringing efficiency and environmental sustainability into mining processes. Oxygen in application has widely been used in mining operations for things like smelting, a basic means of extracting valuable metals from their ores.
The WBCG expressed satisfaction with the progress of the project and referred to the good cooperation that exists between the different role players in the logistics chain. “The group remains committed to excellent client service and ensuring the Walvis Bay Corridor remains the corridor of choice in the region for the transportation of goods.
The consignment of this oxygen plant, in a containerized move, portrayed the role and significance of the Walvis Bay-Ndola-Lubumbashi Development Corridor in facilitating regional trade and investment. Such a move also shows the commitment of the WBCG to efficiently assist in the movement of special project cargo to ensure safety for mining and logistics developments within the Southern African region.
