NileDutch - The Africa Connection 01

MAY 2013

THE AFRICA CONNECTION 01 AFRICA TAC01_vPRINT READY.indd 1

PERSONAL

ACCESSIBLE

RELIABLE 11/03/14 16:17

02

03 Executive Letter

by Jan Willem de Braal

04 The NileDutch Story Steering their own course - NileDutch powers through the current economic crisis by continuing to innovate

06 Feet on the Street Singapore: a Cultural Melting Pot

08 The Essentials of NileDutch Everything you need to know about the NileDutch survey, Brand Key and Brand Essentials

10 Customer Story Lancaster, Belgium

12 New Containers NileDutch passed 100,000 TEU milestone Advanced reefer technology at NileDutch

14 Our New Build Vessels Coming soon: four new build vessels for NileDutch

16 Person in the Picture Practical, personal and philosophical: Introducing Ms Moon Wang

18 Regional News NileDutch opens 5th office in Angola Bringing the World together in Dubai NileDutch Congo opens new office Expansion of NileDutch Antwerp Branch Office

21 South Africa Event Annual cocktail party

22 Guest Story Connecting Angola and the Netherlands

24 Agent Contact Details 26 Sneak Peek at Issue 2 27 Colophon

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03 JAN WILLEM DE BRAAL !

Dear Friends, Here it is: our first magazine! I suggest you reserve some space close to you in your office as there will not only be many more issues, but they all contain interesting and entertaining information about NileDutch, NileDutchers and how we are all connected with Africa!

This first issue provides a good insight into the development of NileDutch. We have used our strong, informal, no-nonsense cultural base and ties with both Africa and Rotterdam, to grow into a global professional operator (with new vessels and a large fleet of equipment), which has kept a positive style as we find pleasure in everything that we do!

I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who has contributed to the magazine, including Susanna Terstal, the Dutch Ambassador to Angola (page 22), Steven Laenen, CEO of Lancaster Forwarding and Logistics (page 10), Ed van Leeuwen and Bart Henau (pages 4 and 8) and my fellow NileDutchers: Bert Zondervan, Patrick Mertens, Geert van Ijserloo, Moon Wang, Marc Smulders, Joseph Loulendo, Yolanda de Groot and Costa Vlassis.

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As well as this magazine, we also have a new website, new corporate identity and new range of brochures and we will use more media than ever before to keep you updated and informed. This is the result of the survey we did last year, and it shows that some people actually (try to) do something with the input they receive from stakeholders. Therefore I would appreciate hearing your comments about our magazine after the next issue.

Unfortunately The Dutch did not conquer the whole world (as they were supposed to do), so now we have to learn English, French, Mandarin, Spanish, Swahili, Portuguese, German, Russian, Arabic, Japanese, Singlish and a whole lot of other languages that I haven’t heard of (yet). For next issue we aim to print in more than just English, but I hope you are okay with English for the first one.

Please enjoy reading The Africa Connection!

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04 Steering their own course NileDutch powers through the current economic crisis by continuing to innovate During times of crisis, companies tend to respond by reducing costs and

tightening

budgets,

hoping

that this will be enough to get them through the difficult times. NileDutch has purposely steered a different route: innovating their service line, increasing sailing frequencies and investing in new vessels. This route might be unexpected, but it has been a successful one.

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The NileDutch

sTORY

And it’s by taking the unexpected approach that they have grown and evolved from being a small operator fascinated by West Africa into a mature container liner services company that is proud to be considered a West Africa specialist. With their Head Office in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, and a worldwide network of agents, they have proved themselves more than capable of holding their own among the major players.

SETTING THEIR COURSE Naturally, they keep an eye on the global markets, including current and forecasted trends and changes in cargo flows.

However, their dedicated network also follows the potential promised by Africa. The quality of the information collected by their network can be summarised by two slogans: • Feet on the street • Quick on their feet To NileDutchers, ‘feet on the street’ refers to the personal connection that NileDutchers have with their customers and other stakeholders. This gives them a unique insight and knowledge into future possibilities and opportunities for themselves, as well as for their customers.

It’s a fact: they are quick on their feet. Even as they grow, they remain flexible and fast in both thinking and doing. Their structure keeps them close to the action, wherever it might be taking place.

Maintaining this core competence while growing at such a high rate has required both a continuous streamlining of work processes and an increase in regionalisation. Their Regional Office in Singapore has recently opened. This doesn’t add layers of bureaucracy; it’s putting the decision makers closer to their customers, closer to the business and closer to the action.

READING THE NILEDUTCH MAP Being able to grow while still remaining ‘small’ is a treasure that many companies have searched for. Luckily, NileDutch has the treasure map. The secret hidden in the map lies in being able to incorporate ‘and-and’ situations into their work processes.

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05 ED VAN LEEUWEN !

SOME ‘AND-AND’ EXAMPLES ARE: • Standardise the service AND remain sensitive to specific customer requirements; • Incorporate organisational structures AND stay entrepreneurial; • Use ICT to streamline business processes AND be personally accessible; • Recruit new staff AND keep their traditional business values alive; • Keep a sharp eye on costs AND continue to invest in innovation.

Looking at the last example, NileDutch is simultaneously rolling out a cost reduction programme and making a large ‘anticyclical’ investment. While the international container trade is going through a difficult time, NileDutch is looking forward to launching four new top-of-the-range vessels in 2014.

STEAMING IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION Even with their treasure map, the core element of their business is their entrepreneurial nature. It’s an added bonus that their vision, concepts and approach are also contained in a business plan. The NileDutch strategic plan points them in the right direction, but doesn’t give step-by-step directions. NileDutchers know and understand that the way from A to B is not a straight line and that the journey is often as important - and interesting - as the destination.

As a Management Consultant, I appreciate the refreshing nononsense attitude I find at NileDutch. Bureaucracy, unnecessary overheads and complications are quickly shown the door.

Simplicity is welcomed.

They’re ready for the future. 

ED VAN LEEUWEN Ed van Leeuwen is an Independent Management Consultant aligning strategy and organisation (‘make it work’). Combining the ‘hard and soft’ aspects he is an expert in change management. He works for both profit and not-for-profit organisations. At NileDutch Ed supports the strategy process and the organisational development process.

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06 Singapore: a Cultural Melting Pot Challenging is one way to explain the process of expanding a company into new locations and regions, especially if those new regions are half way around the world. Differences in culture, language and working methods can make or break expansion plans, so it makes sense to talk to someone with experience, both on a personal and a professional level.

› Singapore local market

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Feet on

THe sTReeT

07

Dutchman Bert Zondervan and his family relocated from NileDutch Head Office in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, to busy Singapore in 2008. Moving to the other side of the world isn’t an easy decision to make, especially with two teenage children to consider. Luckily, Bert has only positive things to say about his experience, from the high quality of healthcare to the good standard of living. His children almost immediately saw the benefits of the international school system and his wife quickly settled into her new life.

Professionally it was the right choice for Bert. He had spent the previous 11 years building up cross-trade traffic for NileDutch from all destinations outside Europe to West Africa and was involved with the Far-East trade on a daily basis. The next step was to move to Singapore to set up and run the NileDutch regional office.

Bert and his family were not alone in their move to Singapore.

The numerous international companies in Singapore, including NileDutch, mean that a constant flow of expats arrive all the time. In fact, 1.5 million residents, from a current total of 5.3 million, are foreigners, placing it sixth worldwide for the proportion of foreigners. Foreigners in Singapore include not only expats, but also foreign workers from countries such as the Philippines, Indonesia and Bangladesh. This has resulted in a culture best described as a melting pot of Chinese, Indian, British and Malay cultures, reflecting its immigrant history.

Even though Singapore is currently the third most densely populated country in the world, after Macau and Monaco, the Singaporean government expects the population to increase to 7 million by 2030, including at least 2.5 million foreigners. To ensure the population expands as smoothly as possible, the government has started a number of works, including expanding the metro system so that everybody lives within a 10-minute walk of a metro station, reducing the necessity of cars.

Regionally, Singapore was the logical choice for NileDutch.

As well as a large number of international companies locating their Head Office or a Regional Office in Singapore, anywhere in the region is accessible within a two-hour flight. This makes it extremely easy for Bert and his team to visit customers and NileDutch agents throughout the region.

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Bert Zondervan

The Port of Singapore is the other major reason for NileDutch choosing Singapore as their regional base. Its strategic geographical location explains why the Port of Singapore handles the most shipping tonnage each year. It is also the world’s busiest transhipment hub, with 15% of the world’s total container transhipment throughput and 5% of global container throughput. And it is the second busiest container port worldwide, after Shanghai. For these reasons, as well as its extensive feeder network, the Port of Singapore was the logical choice to become NileDutch’s regional transhipment hub for all traffic from the area.

Bert has found that being on the ground in the region has given him a good insight into the services that companies in the area require and the ways that NileDutch can fulfil these requirements. Customers are vocal about how much they appreciate the NileDutch one-stop personal service that ranges from expertise and knowledge about Africa to accessible and professional staff members who are always ready to help and from the ease of doing business with NileDutch to the good regional port coverage. But it doesn’t stop there; Bert and his team are currently looking into the further development of new origins, especially in the Middle East and Indian sub-continent.

Both professionally and personally Bert remains positive about his Singaporean experiences. As he says: “Singapore is a real cultural melting pot. Come and see for yourself.” 

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08 Everything you need to know about the NileDutch survey, Brand Key and Brand Essentials Take a minute, close your eyes and think. What does NileDutch mean to

Africa

you? Valued supplier, great employer or resourceful partner?

According to the Communications

Personal

Department we should be thinking ‘Africa’, ‘Personal’, ‘Accessible’ and ‘Reliable’. Read on to find out why.

Accessible

Reliable

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The Essentials of

NiLeDuTCH THE NILEDUTCH SURVEY In early 2012 NileDutch asked 2,000 people - customers, suppliers, employees and other stakeholders - to complete an online survey. The response rate was high, with 674 people each spending, on average, 23 minutes giving their honest opinion about NileDutch.

The results were astonishing. Numerous stakeholders mentioned NileDutch’s personal touch, showing that for NileDutch the people are the brand and the brand is the people. But there were also clear divisions in the results. For example, long-term customers loved NileDutch, while recent customers and potential customers didn’t seem to fully understand what NileDutch stood for or their way of working.

While some companies might have decided to hide any unexpected survey results that didn’t fit the outcome they were hoping for, NileDutch took a different approach. The results were presented to everybody at Head Office and in the NileDutch own offices, so that all NileDutchers would know and understand what was needed to done in order to improve the situation.

From a marketing and communications point of view, the next step was to uncover the NileDutch ‘DNA’ to formulate the Brand Key. The Brand Key identifies the elements that make up NileDutch to clearly show what is important to NileDutch and their customers, what value NileDutch has and how NileDutch differentiates itself from the competition.

THE NILEDUTCH BRAND ESSENTIALS The Brand Key, in turn, led to a completely new communication concept. This is based on the four essential elements that make NileDutch into the company it is today: Africa, Personal, Accessible and Reliable.

Africa: Africa has always been part of the NileDutch DNA. With over thirty years of experience, NileDutch has the knowledge and flexibility to deal with the unexpected situations that make working in Africa so challenging and rewarding.

Personal: NileDutch values the personal connection between their customers and all NileDutchers as it gives NileDutch greater

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BART HENAU !

insight into what their customers need. This enables NileDutch to provide the services their customers require, whenever and wherever they need them.

Accessible: being accessible is part of the NileDutch way of working. Using their network of offices around the world NileDutch listens to their customers, answers their questions and offers solutions to any problems that occur.

Reliable: customers count on NileDutch to deliver a reliable schedule and quality service at competitive rates. NileDutch achieves this by striving for Operational Excellence in every aspect of the business.

These four elements, the NileDutch brand essentials, will be the common link between every part of NileDutch communications from now on. Have you already seen them?

OUR MARKETING COMMUNICATION PLAN Parallel to the creation of the Brand Key and the Brand Essentials has been the preparation of the new Marketing Communication plan. Incorporating a new website, a company magazine, a corporate brochure, new stationery, an advertising campaign, press releases and more, the first results are just becoming visible.

We’ve come a long way to get to this point, but it doesn’t end here. Communicating well is an on-going process that we will continue to work on in the weeks, months and years ahead.

Our goal: connecting the NileDutch brand essentials of Africa, Personal, Accessible and Reliable to the NileDutch name in everybody’s minds.

Can you help us?

BART HENAU Bart Henau is an Independent Brand Consultant. After 25 years in the business, he started BLIND agency in 2010 to help companies to focus on improving their branding. Bart specialises in assisting selected international B2B brands. www.blind-agency.tv

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10 Lancaster Belgium Business today is more than just suppliers providing goods and services to customers. To make the most of the opportunities that come along, suppliers need to move beyond their traditional role and become a partner, helping and assisting their customers in any way possible.

› Steven Laenen, CEO of Lancaster Forwarding and Logistics

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Customer

sTORY

Lancaster Forwarding and Logistics, a freight forwarder and logistics expert for dry and frozen food items headed for West Africa from around the world, has been a satisfied NileDutch customer for over 14 years. “They might have started as just a supplier, but we definitely count NileDutch as one of our most important partners now,” says Steven Laenen, Owner and CEO at Lancaster Forwarding and Logistics.

“Our contact people at NileDutch Antwerp, in particular Steven Van Biesbroek, really understand us: our business, our requirements, our background and our future vision,” explains Steven.

“They are aware of every aspect of the service they offer us and provide us with correct and up-to-date information, which is essential when handling food items. Additionally, NileDutch goes out of its way to try and work with us to grow our business, which has the added bonus of increasing their business.

Our partnership with NileDutch ensures that we can rely on a quality service throughout the shipment process.

Our partnership with NileDutch ensures that we can rely on a quality service throughout the shipment process. NileDutch advises us about the best shipping options for each customer

Steven Laenen at work

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11 pre-notification that we receive, including vessel departure dates, allocation options and available equipment. In case of delay, which can happen when shipping to Africa, NileDutch keeps us up-to-date with the situation and works hard to try and find the most suitable solution for us.”

Steven’s colleague, Monique Peper, Key Account Manager, agrees, saying “To see an example of our partnership at work we could look at our regular reefer shipments from South America to West Africa. Unfortunately we occasionally face a shortage of reefer equipment, but NileDutch always acts as quickly as they can to obtain the reefers that we need. They either ship them to the port of loading from another port in the area or hire them to meet our needs. This the perfect solution for perishable goods.”

When asked, Steven van Biesbroek, Lancaster’s main contact person and Key Account Manager at NileDutch Antwerp, explains the secret behind the Lancaster-NileDutch partnership.

“It’s our personal attention to detail that makes all the difference.

We check and double-check everything, solve problems as soon as they crop up so they don’t become insurmountable and keep our customers up to date, every step of the way.”

Steven Laenen concludes “I think the most important aspect for me is the professional and helpful attitude that every member of staff at NileDutch has. They do their best to help, offering fast and comprehensive solutions for our daily queries and issues.

What more can you ask for?” 

Members of the Lancaster team

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12

New

CONTAiNeRs

NileDutch passed 100,000 TEU milestone in March

With the recent production of 5,000 20ft dry and 2,000 40ft high cube containers, NileDutch passed the 100,000th TEU in service in March 2013.

NileDutch leased its first containers back in 1988, with the first NileDutch-owned containers being built in Indonesia in 1996.

The 50,000 TEU milestone was passed at the beginning of

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2008 and now, just 5 years later, the NileDutch container eet has doubled.

Officially, the 100,000th TEU is the 20ft dry container unit NIDU 233000-2, produced at the CIMC factory in Nantong, China between March 9th to 12th. ď Ž

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13

PATRICK MERTENS Patrick Mertens is the Global Container Logistics Manager for NileDutch HQ in Rotterdam, the Netherlands.

He is responsible for the management of the empty container fleet and the logistics of container availability. After more than 22 years with in various operational functions with other major container shipping lines, Patrick joined NileDutch in January 2012.

Advanced reefer technology at NileDutch The latest 500 40ft High Cube reefer from the Maersk Container Industry

In addition to the low energy consumption, the units also offer an improved container structure. MCI has studied the most common and costly repairs needed by reefer containers to see where the reefers required extra support or upgraded materials.

(MCI) in Qingdao, China, deliver the

Furthermore, MCI reefer units continue to deliver:

containers ordered by NileDutch

lowest energy consumption rates of any reefer container currently avail-

• •

able on the market. Compared to

•

the currently used equipment, they

•

represent an average of 30% - 40% less energy consumption per year, reducing our CO2 emissions.

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less downtime due to higher damage resistance; the ability to load more cargo due to decreased unit weight; improved insulation thanks to the integrated front frame and effective insulation material; and the use of environmental friendly materials where possible.

NileDutch is confident that these new reefer units will contribute to improved reefer equipment availability and higher service quality. 

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14 Coming soon: four new build vessels for NileDutch Our plans for the future are big – there’s no other way to describe them. We want to grow and expand, both the quantity of cargo that we transport as well as the locations that we serve. However, this would be almost impossible to achieve without increasing the size of our fleet. With this in mind, in 2010 we ordered four new vessels to be built to our specifications. Together they will bring our fleet up to five owned vessels and 33 charters. The first new vessel will be delivered early 2014.

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15

Our New Build

VesseLs

GEERT VAN IJSERLOO !

THE BUILDING PROCESS We started the project at Shanghai Shipyard in China in 2011, with our technical managers, Anglo Eastern, overseeing every aspect of the operation. Both companies have a good track record regarding quality and delivery times, so we’re certain that the end results will be worth the wait.

One of the new NileDutch vessels in 3D (April 2013)

Even though the four new vessels won’t be the first vessels that NileDutch has owned, they will be the first vessels that we’ve designed, developed and built based on the requirements of our customers, the ports we visit and the commodities we carry.

The vessels previously owned by NileDutch were all purchased second hand, often after chartering the vessel for a while. This gave us the opportunity to get to know the ship - its performance, fuel efficiency, ways to optimise operations, etc.

- before the purchase. On the down side, the ships were older, with higher operational expenses and lower fuel efficiency than new vessels. The majority of these vessels have since been retired due to old age.

By ordering new build vessels, we are looking forward to having vessels that perfectly match our requirements, instead of just chartering the best ships available at that moment. The large capacity of each vessel - 3,500 TEUs - will create economies of scale and improve efficiency, making our services even more competitive. The only downside is the long lead-time - we’ve had a three-year wait from the initial order to delivery.

One of the major advantages of a new build vessel is the opportunity to adapt the design to our specifications. Shipping to and from Africa involves a unique set of challenges, which we took into consideration during the design phase. For example, the new vessels are a little wider than the standard size to increase the cargo intake. Plus, these will be some of the largest vessels on the market to incorporate loading cranes to assist when in port.

We’ll look at the building process in more detail in one of the upcoming issues of The Africa Connection.

THE FUTURE Everyone involved in the new build project is looking forward to the delivery of the first new vessel in early 2014. Flying under the Dutch flag, the still-unnamed new vessels will be working on the Asia-West Africa line.

Based on the experience so far, there will certainly be opportunities for more new vessels in our future. 

GEERT VAN IJSERLOO Geert van IJserloo is Fleet Manager for NileDutch, in Rotterdam, the Netherlands.

As Fleet Manager, he is responsible for the owned ships and the new build project. After graduation from the Delft University of Technology, Geert started his career at NileDutch in 2002 as a Project Engineer in the Fleet department. He worked on a number of projects before becoming the Fleet Manager in 2009.

Next issue: How to build a NileDutch vessel

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16

Practical, personal and philosophical: Introducing Ms Moon Wang Since the first NileDutch office in China opened in 2007, business has gone from strength to strength. The dedication and commitment of staff members like Ms Moon has played a major role in this growth. Ms Moon Wang joined NileDutch as a Documentation Supervisor shortly after the Guangzhou office first opened in 2010. She has since been promoted, first to Deputy Manager, and now to Office Manager.

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17

Person in the

PiCTuRe

Ms Moon Wang at work

“I would say that I’m a lucky girl. I have a lot of help and support from the people around me and this allows me to do my job well. Mr Laubel and Mr Ting, my managers, give me a lot of trust and leadership and I have the support of the whole team in Guangzhou. NileDutch is such a positive environment with so many opportunities. I feel lucky to have had so many opportunities in such a short time.

I find it important that we all listen to our customers, to understand what they are asking for. Happily, the young team here in the office agree. We are all so passionate about our jobs, so full of energy, it is a pleasure to come to work, and that really shows. Our customers are impressed with the good service we provide.

The Chinese relationship with Africa is growing and strengthening everyday and I enjoy being able to help improve this connection.

Away from work, I feel happy to have such a loving family. Even though we are now both married with children, my brother and I are still close and we often eat together with our parents. As a wife and a parent I now understand my parents better. My son makes my life full of joy and hope. He can make me angry and tired, but it’s all part of life and I can’t imagine life without him. And with my wonderful husband, the best partner anyone could ask for, I enjoy life everyday. I certainly admire my parents and others of their generation. They have worked hard all their lives, regardless of how difficult the living and work situation was, trying to make life better for my brother and I. My personal philosophy is to talk to the people who are important to you. Share your happiness and sadness. And try to understand them if, or when, you disagree. If you do all that, you will have the help and love that you need to support you through your life.” 

Learning about our customers is part of our service. Knowing about Africa, and the opportunities it offers, is another part.

Africa is an exciting market, especially for Chinese businesses.

The Chinese relationship with Africa is growing and strengthening everyday and I enjoy being able to help improve this connection.

NileDutch team in Guangzhou

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18

Regional

NeWs

NileDutch opens 5th office in Angola MARC SMULDERS !

The new NileDutch office in Namibe

NileDutch has been shipping to and from Angola for over 30 years. With direct services to all five of Angola’s major ports (Cabinda, Soyo, Luanda, Lobito and Nambia), NileDutch has become the world’s number 1 carrier to Angola.

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With offices in four of Angola’s top five ports, the next logical step was to open an office in Namibe. This new office will offer local clients the same high level of service and dedication that customers expect from NileDutch.

The new office will be managed by Helio Oliveira, with a team of six experienced and dedicated NileDutchers to oversee all shipments that pass through the Namibe port.

The Namibe port, located close to Angola’s southern border with Namibe, is the main gateway to and from Lubango, a major city approximately 200km east of the port. The Namibe port is a major hub for foodstuffs, building materials and machinery imports from South East Asia, China, North Europe, Portugal and South America. 

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Bringing the World together in Dubai

19 BERT ZONDERVAN !

Dubai recently hosted one of the world’s largest food trade shows, GulFood. From February 25th to 28th, over 4,200 exhibitors from 110 countries around the world came together in Dubai to showcase over 50,000 brands in colourful country pavilions.

The importance of Dubai as a key-trading hub in the global economy was highlighted by the presence of a number of country leaders, government ministers and top-level delegations from G20 countries, including Argentina, Australia, Canada, EU nations, the UK and the USA. This is a clear indication of GulFood’s statute and the way that the exhibition elevates Dubai’s position as the region’s leading gateway for East-West trade.

The government realise that mobility supports and drives development, and invests heavily to sustain growth. One of the two major mobility infrastructure projects currently underway is the expansion of the Jebel Ali port. With the opening of the new Terminal 3 in 2014, the total capacity of Jebel Ali port will be increased to 19 million TEU. This will mean that the port will be able to simultaneously handle ten of the new, giant 18,000 TEU vessels – the only port in the region able to do so.

A global team of NileDutchers flew in from Angola, Antwerp, China, Congo, Rotterdam and Singapore to personally visit customers during the GulFood exhibition and at their offices.

The NileDutchers showed their personal touch during a Customer Dinner at one of Dubai’s beach resorts. Over 100 NileDutch customers from around the world attended the event and shared ideas and opinions in a casual, personal and friendly atmosphere.

NileDutch brought the world together in Dubai. 

Dubai is also gaining importance for NileDutch as increasing numbers of our customers set up offices in the area. Dubai is a globally strategic location, seamlessly connecting Europe, Asia and Africa.

Dubai is a globally strategic location

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20 NileDutch Congo opens new office JOSEPH LOULENDO !

NileDutch Congo has recently opened a new Operations and Shipping office in Pointe Noire to offer our customers a dedicated location for all their shipping needs. Joseph Loulendo will run the new office.

With the new members of staff and the additional office space, NileDutch Congo is looking forward to being able to provide customers with a better quality service. 

Expansion of NileDutch Antwerp Branch Office YOLANDA DE GROOT !

On September 1st, 2010 NileDutch Antwerp opened her doors in a picturesque location in the middle of Antwerp’s yacht harbour. Since then our original 11 members of staff has expanded into 21, matching our fast growth and increasing responsibilities.

Unsurprisingly, our office space has become too small.

After looking into alternatives, we decided to stay in our present location and renovate our office so it is ready for a maximum of 43 people. Luckily for us, the company renting the other part of the floor of our office building has recently left, giving us 762m2 to remodel to our needs.

To ensure minimal disturbance to our daily activities, the remodelling project has been divided into two phases. Phase 1 started on February 4th with the tearing down of the original walls at the back of our original office space. The new space will be divided into four main parts (a large conference room, archives, an office for Manuella Maes and a canteen with a kitchen and seating space for 26 people plus table football).

Phase 2 started in mid-March and included a brand new reception, a waiting area, two small meetings rooms (one with video conferencing), a printer room and the main office space.

The project was finished in April. 

t

Yolanda De Groo

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South Africa

eVeNT

Annual cocktail party COSTA VLASSIS !

DATE: JANUARY 31ST, 2013 LOCATION: HYATT HOTEL ROSEBANK, JOHANNESBURG, SOUTH AFRICA



GUEST LIST: NILEDUTCH CUSTOMERS AND STAFF



1 - Pravin Parsad during his speech.

2 - L-R: Kevin Moodley (Branch Manager, Cape Town, NileDutch) and Gary Van Niekerk (ASPEN). Gary Van Niekerk enjoyed the NileDutch South Africa video shown during the evening.

3 - L-R: Costa Diakides (GAC Laser), Brett Frederiksen (DN Freight) and Haydn Van Niekerk (DN Freight). These important freight forwarders may be competitors in the market, but they agree that NileDutch consistently outperforms the other shipping lines in the industry with the best attention to detail they have ever seen.

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







4 - L-R: Angelique Odelwage (General Manager, Pride Milling), Christa Greenwood (Pride Milling) and Monique Van Rooyen (Pride Milling). Angelique Odelwage said that she enjoyed seeing ‘real’ people in the exceptional video.

5 - The NileDutch South Africa Marketing team on stage thanking our guests.

6 - L-R: Gareth Horton (Kuehne & Nagel), Paul Steven (Unitrans), Graham Petzer (Bridge Shipping), Franz Bester (Coca-Cola) and Kevin Spence (Kuehne & Nagel). These large and respected clients of ours unanimously agreed that NileDutch goes the extra mile to not just gain business from our clients, but also to include them in the growth of our business.

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22 Connecting Angola and the Netherlands There are many ways to describe the connection between Angola and the Netherlands. Well-established, supportive and mutually advantageous are just a few. NGOs, companies and governmental agencies in both countries have worked together to develop and expand this connection, bringing benefits to both sides.

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23

Guest

sTORY Our long-standing relationship started in the 1970s when Dutch NGOs were amongst the first in the world to support Angola in its struggle for independence. After establishing official bilateral relations with Angola on February 18th, 1976, we remained loyal to the country and provided support where we could during the difficult years of the Angolan civil war. Since the end of the civil war in 2002, Dutch development assistance projects have gradually ended and trade and investment opportunities have increased. Companies that established themselves in Angola during the difficult years of the civil war, including NileDutch, have built up good reputations in the country with positive results.

As the Ambassador of the Kingdom of the Netherlands to Angola, I represent the Netherlands as well as Aruba, Curacao and St Martin. In practice this means supporting and advancing Dutch business interests as well as helping Dutch nationals who reside or visit the country. A lot of my time is spent promoting Angola to Dutch companies, encouraging them to visit the country to see the opportunities for themselves and putting them in contact with interesting local companies and business people. The quarterly business gathering is a productive platform for Dutch business interests to meet and discuss the local situation.

The current business relationship between the two nations focuses on oil and gas from Angola and chemicals, machinery, agricultural equipment and ICT from the Netherlands. Regarding trade between sub-Saharan countries and the Netherlands, Angola ranks 4th for imports to the Netherlands (behind Nigeria, South Africa and the Ivory Coast) and 7th for exports (behind Nigeria, South Africa, Ghana, Kenya, Benin and Guinea). However, Angola is becoming an increasingly important trading partner thanks to the fast pace of development the country is currently experiencing.

Shipping plays a vital role in the Angolan economy as Angola imports many essential daily goods as bulk and container cargo.

NileDutch knows this better than anybody - and every Angolan authority and company knows NileDutch. In Luanda it’s normal to see NileDutch containers come and go in the daily traffic.

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SUSANNA TERSTAL !

It’s not just highly visible international companies that have a positive impact on Angola. Any company that offers good jobs - in other words companies that invest in improving the skills and knowledge of local employees and provide good working conditions - as well as selling products and services at reasonable prices have contributed to improving the quality of life in Angola. I’m proud to say that Dutch companies have a strong, positive record here.

I’m proud to say that Dutch companies have a strong, positive record here.

Based on our solid relationship during difficult times in the past and the excellent relationship that we now enjoy, I believe that the future relationship between Angola and the Netherlands will only get stronger and deeper. There is so much potential for further growth in both directions, which could benefit both countries. The transfer of knowledge and the strengthening of professional human resources will be key to developing the Angolan economy into a powerhouse in Southern Africa, and these are exactly the areas in which Dutch companies are very active on an international level.

So while the potential for future growth is undeniable, it all starts with a simple connection between people. And that’s where I come in. I’m looking forward to making that next connection. 

SUSANNA TERSTAL After studying in the Netherlands, the United States and Italy, Susanna started working for Apple Computers in Belgium, the Netherlands and Costa Rica. In 1993 she joined the Ministry of Foreign Affairs where she held several positions in the legal department. In 2008 she became the Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN in Geneva.

She has been the Netherlands Ambassador to Angola since August 2012.

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24 ANGOLA NileDutch Angola - Luanda Rua Alda Lara nº 25, Vila Alice, Rangel Luanda P + 244 227 326 980 E info@niledutch.co.ao NileDutch Angola - Lobito Rua 25 de Abril n° 212, 1 Esq° Zona Comercial do Lobito (28) Lobito P +244 272 221 016 / 017 / 018 E plima@niledutch.co.ao NileDutch Angola - Cabinda Rua Irmao Evaristo S/N Cabinda P +244 231 224 095 E dsilva@niledutch.co.ao NileDutch Angola - Soyo Kwanda Base Soyo P +244 923 581 003 E iantonio@niledutch.co.ao NileDutch Angola - Namibe Avenida Joaquim Morais, Centro Comercial e Negócios Sagrada Esperança Namibe P +244 264 265 500 / 501 E holiveira@niledutch.co.ao ARGENTINA Abbey Sea Av. Alicia Moreau de Justo 1720 2nd Floor, Suite “I” C1107AFJ Buenos Aires P +54 11 43120021 E niledutch@abbeysea.com.ar BELGIUM NileDutch Belgium Godefriduskaai 26 2000 Antwerp P + 32 3 206 22 99 E sales@be.niledutch.com BENIN Supermaritime Benin SA Lot 137 Zone Résidentielle Cotonou P +229 21 30 92 03 / 04 E commercial@niledutch-benin.com BRAzIL NileDutch Brazil Rua do Comércio, 55 Cj 11, Centro CEP 11010-141 SP Santos P +55 13 3328 9500 E comercial@niledutch.com.br NileDutch Brazil Rua Comendador Araújo143, 15º Floor, Cj 153 Centro CEP 80420-900 PR Curitiba P +55 41 2111 5606 E comercial@niledutch.com.br NileDutch Brazil Av Ibirapuera, 2033 Moema CEP 04029-100 SP Sao Paulo P +55 11 3383 4450 E comercial@niledutch.com.br

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NileDutch Brazil Rua Babitonga 71, Centro CEP 89240-000 SC Sao Francisco Do Sul P +55 47 3459 0182 E comercial@niledutch.com.br NileDutch Brazil Av. Rio Branco 31, 21st Floor, Centro CEP 20090-003 RJ Rio de Janeiro P +55 21 2203 0031 E comercial@niledutch.com.br CAMEROON Sud Maritime SA Rue direction Base Navale, Carrefour Essengue à Coté du Magasin 3T Douala P +237 334 23880 E shipping@sudmar.com CHINA NileDutch China - Guangzhou Room 1807, Guangzhou International Electronics Tower, 403 Huan Shi Road East, Yuexiu District Guangzhou P +86 20 8713 9396 E ray.han@gzu.niledutchchina.com NileDutch China - Ningbo Room 2803, Portman Plaza No. 48 North Cai Hong Road Ningbo P +86 574 8907 2002 E clark.chen@ngb.niledutchchina.com NileDutch China - Qingdao Room 2604 Shangri - La Centre No. 9 Xiang Gang Zhong Road 266071 Qingdao P +86 532 8090 9136 E amis.tian@tao.niledutchchina.com NileDutch China - Shanghai Room 1704-1706, Park Centre 1088 Fangdian Road, Pudong 201204 Shanghai P +86 21 3865 7800 E marco.wang@sha.niledutchchina.com NileDutch China - Tianjin Room 1408 Tianjin International Building No. 75 Nanjing Road, Heping District Tianjin P +86 22 2339 6270 E james.zhai@tsn.niledutchchina.com

Comexas Afrique s.p.r.l. - DRC West 8, Quai du Commerce Boma P +243 99 81 84 081 E boma@comexas.cd EQUATORIAL GUINEA Loguitrans Agencia Maritima Appart Hotel Plaza, 1st Floor Bata P +240 222 133355 E loguitrans@gmail.com Deltamar SA Carretera Aeropuerto Km 4 (Bioko - Norte) Malabo P +240 333 090 897 E p.longo@deltamar.com FINLAND Oy Scanway Shipping AB Itämerenkatu 1 FI-00180 Helsinki P +358 9 415 05 422 E jjarvinen@scan-shipping.com FRANCE NileDutch France SAS Espace Caillard, 4 Etage, Place Caillard 76600 Le Havre P +33 680 612 651 E bdemare@niledutch.fr gabon SAGA Gabon Zone Portuaire d’Owendo Libreville P +241 700091 E niledutchsales.lbv@bollore.com GERMANY M&S Mehrtens & Schwickerath GmbH Tiefer 4 28195 Bremen P +49 421 363 080 E wjohn@msbre.com GHANA Supermaritime Ghana Ltd Industrial Area, Community 1, New Town Tema P +233 303 202874 / 202036 E mailghana@supermaritime.net

CONGO

HONG KONG

NileDutch Congo Intersection des rues Cotê Matève et Tchionga En face de la CFAO, Centre-Ville, B.P. 5131 Pointe Noire P +242 069 514 472 E nbagniakana@niledutchcongo.com

NileDutch Hong Kong 19/F1, Shanghai Industrial Investment Building 48-62 Hennessy Road Wanchai P +852 27612780 E pierre.chui@hkg.niledutchchina.com

DENMARK

INDIA

Hecksher Linieagenturer A/S Bredskiftevej 36-38 DK-8210 V Aarhus P +45 8933 6200 E p.brun@hecksher.com

Transmarine Agencies India Pvt Ltd New No. 210, 2nd & 3rd Floor Thambu Chetty Street, 600 001 Chennai P +91 44 4901 8888 E shibu@transmarine.in

Hecksher Linieagenturer A/S Sundkaj 9 Pakhus 48 DK-2100 Copenhagen P +45 3916 8100 E cph@hecksher.com

Transmarine Agencies India Pvt Ltd 510, 5th Floor, Ascot Centre, Off. Sahar Road Andheri (East), 400 099 Mumbai P +91 22 6686 8888 E rajat-bom@transmarine.in

Democratic republic of CONGO

Transmarine Agencies India Pvt Ltd 924, DLF Tower B, 11, Jasola District Centre 110 025 New Delhi P +91 11 4276 8888 E chandan-del@transmarine.in

Comexas Afrique s.p.r.l. - DRC West 15-17, Avenue Colonel, Ebeya Building Bracongo, 4 Etage Kinshasa P +243 99 99 08 920 E kinshasa@comexas.cd Comexas Afrique s.p.r.l. - DRC West 6, Avenue Luthelo Matadi P + 243 89 89 96 900 E matadi@comexas.cd

INDONESIA PT Serasi Shipping Indonesia Graha Kirana, 3rd & 12th Floor Jl. Yos Sudarso No. 88 Jakarta 14350 P +62 21 65311293 E erythrina.sianturi@jardine-shipping.com

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PT Serasi Shipping Indonesia Jl. Puri Anjasmoro Block F 1 No. 3A Semarang 50144 P +62 24 761 9401 E maria.yuniastuti@jardine-shipping.com PT Serasi Shipping Indonesia Kompleks Pengampon Square Jl. Semut Baru Block D No.10 Surabaya 60172 P +62 31 355 1555 E dwi.putranto@jardine-shipping.com IRELAND International Maritime Ag Ltd Brendan House, 151 Baldoyle Industrial Estate Dublin 13 P +353 1 8320709 E d.whelan@intl-maritime.com IVORY COAST Simat – Société Ivoirienne de Manutention et de Transit Rue des Pétrolliers, BP 648 Abidjan 15 P +225 21 75 41 01 E norbert.aneye@simat.ci ITALY Thos. Carr & Son Srl Via Roma, 2 Int.12 16121 Genova P +39 010 8578 909 E comm@thoscarr.it JAPAN Pegasus International Co Ltd 13-40, Konan 2-Chome, Minato-Ku 108-0075 Tokyo P +81 36 718 0735 E Pegasus-tokyo@isis.ocn.ne.jp MALAYSIA Aquamaritime Logistics Sdn Bhd Level 15-02A, Plaza Masalam Section 9, 40100 Shah Alam Selangor (Port Klang) P +60 3 5880 4093 E peggy@aquamaritime.com.my Aquamaritime Logistics Sdn Bhd Unit 23A-07A, Level 23A, Menara Landmark No. 12 Jalan Ngee Heng, 80000 Johor Bahru Johor (Pasir Gudang / Tanjung Pelepas Port) P +60 7221 0798 E jeslyn@aquamaritime.com.my MOROCCO Naxco Shipping & Logistics Maroc 44, Rue Mohamed Smiha 20000 Casablanca T +212 522 544 770 E sales@naxcologistics.ma NETHERLANDS NileDutch Africa Line B.V. Westblaak 95 3012 KG Rotterdam P +31 10 281 82 83 E info@niledutch.com NileDutch Belgium Godefriduskaai 26 2000 Antwerp P + 31 10 206 64 00 E sales@be.niledutch.com NIGERIA Cross Marine Services Nigeria Ltd 28 Burma Road, P.O. Box 2614 Lagos Apapa P +234 1 791 2762 E sales.nigeria@bollore.com

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NORWAY

SRI LANKA

Scanway Shipping AS Vollsveien 13H N-1326 Lysaker Oslo P +47 67 102360 E info@scanway-shipping.no

Aitken Spence Shipping Ltd 315, Vauxhall Street 2 Colombo P +94 11 2308100 E shipping@aitkenspence.lk

PAKISTAN

SWEDEN

M/S Global Maritime Pvt Ltd Eastern House, 9 Timber Pond, M.A. Jinnah Road, P.O. Box 4851, Keamari 75620 Karachi P +92 21 32851945 E info@globalmaritime.pk

Joship AB Lilla Bommen 2 SE-404 27 Gothenburg P +46 31 703 7800 E Stefan.nystrom@joship.se

PHILIPPINES Jugro Transport International Phils Corp 3818 Mascardo St. Corner, Pasong Tomo Makati City P +63 2 896 1309 E sfe@jugro.com PORTUGAL NileDutch Portugal & Marmedsa Agencia Maritima Lda Avenida D. Joao II, Lote 1.18.03, Edificio Arts Bloco B, 2 Andar, Sala C 1990-084 Lisbon P +351 21 898 2200 E comlis@niledutch.marmedsa.com

SWITZERLAND Furness Shipping Ltd Hohlstrasse 610 8048 Zurich P +41 44 436 9111 E furness@furness.ch TAIWAN Jardine Shipping Services Jardine, Matheson & Co Ltd, 13th Floor 50 Hsin Sheng South Road Sec 1 Taipei 10059 P +886 223931177 E dominic.tsay@jardine-shipping.com THAILAND

NileDutch Portugal & Marmedsa Agencia Maritima Lda Rua Eng. Ferreira Dias, No. 728, Sala 3.02 4100-246 Porto P +351 22 090 0500 E aferreira@niledutch.marmedsa.com

United Thai Shipping Corporation Ltd 25 Alma Link Building, 11th Floor Soi Chilom Phloenchit Road, Lumphini, Pathumwan 10330 Bangkok P +66 2254 8400 E agency.container@unithai.com

SINGAPORE

TOGO

NileDutch Singapore Pte Ltd 6 Shenton Way Tower 2, #28-08 Singapore 068809 P +65 65010760 E info@niledutchsingapore.com

SDV Togo Zone Portuaire, B.P. 34 Lome P +228 22 27 5878 / 8476 E sdv.lome@bollore.com

SOUTH AFRICA

UNITED ARAB EMIRATES

NileDutch South Africa - Johannesburg Hyde Park Lane, Marlborough Gate Ground Floor, Cnr of William Nicol and Jan Smuts Drive Hyde Park, Johannesburg P +27 11 325 0557 E info@niledutch.co.za

The Kanoo Group Shipping Agencies Division P.O. Box 290, Khalid IBN Al Walid Street Dubai P +971 4 393 1900 E shpgmktg02@kanoo.ae

NileDutch South Africa - Cape Town Metropolitan Life Centre, 7 Coen Stytler Street Cape Town P +27 21 425 3600 E kevin@niledutch.co.za NileDutch South Africa - Durban Royal Hotel Ulundi Place Opposite Royal Parking Durban P +27 31 306 4500 E info@niledutch.co.za SOUTH KOREA Kukbo Express Co Ltd 11th Floor, Ace Tower, 92, Tongil-ro, Jung-gu Seoul P +82 2 771 5514 E niledutch@kbe.co.kr SPAIN Marmedsa Noatum Shipping Agency C/ de l’Atlàntic, 112-120 Zona d’Activitats Logistiques ZAL, Edificio Norai 08040 Barcelona P +34 93 298 77 77 E nrincon@marmedsa.com Marmedsa Noatum Shipping Agency PIz. Bandas de Musica dela CV No. 11, Piso 1 Puerta 6, Edificio Las Artes II 46013 Valencia P +34 96 324 12 60 E hayuso@mdmval.marmedsa.com

UNITED KINGDOM JSA Global Ltd 5 Summit Business Park, Langer Road Suffolk IP11 2 JB Felixstowe P +44 1394 678678 E niledutch@jsagb.com VIETNAM Jardine Shipping Services Ltd 3rd Floor, Tasaco Building 104+200km Nguyen Binh Khiem Street Dong Hai Ward, Hai An District HaiPhong City P +84 31 374 1456 E cs@vnhph@jardine-shipping.com Jardine Shipping Services Ltd 3rd Floor Gemadept Tower 2bis-4-6 Le Thanh Ton Street Ben Nghe Ward, District 1 Ho Chi Minh City P +84 83 8279 350 E mai.cao@jardine-shipping.com

Agent Contact Details

PT Serasi Shipping Indonesia Jl. Haji Misbah, Kompleks Multatuli Indah Blok B 31, Medan (Belawan) P +62 61 451 6916 / 17 E turino.gunawan@jardine-shipping.com

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26

Sneak Peek at

issue 2

Coming up in issue 2 in July 2013: • The 1,000th WEWA voyage • Customer point of view from South Africa • Focusing on our person in the picture • Feet on the street with NileDutch around the world • How to build a NileDutch vessel • The new NileDutch website • NileDutch news and events in your region

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Colophon EDITORIAL Executive Editor: Jan Willem de Braal Editorial co-ordinators: Bart Henau Christine Mes Larissa N’gbo Larisa Thuije Contributors: Yolanda De Groot Geert van Ijserloo Steven Laenen Ed van Leeuwen Joseph Loulendo Patrick Mertens Marc Smulders Susanna Terstal Costa Vlassis Moon Wang Bert Zondervan DESIGN & PRODUCTION Larisa Thuije COPYWRITING Christine Mes PHOTOGRAPHY MAIN ARTICLES Peter Goes PUBLISHED BY Nile Dutch Africa Line B.V. Communications Westblaak 95 3012 KG Rotterdam The Netherlands WEBSITE: www.niledutch.com E-MAIL: theafricaconnection@niledutch.com

More information and/or editorial contributions should be sent to the above email address.

All rights reserved.

Reproduction of this magazine in whole or in part is prohibited without the prior written permission of Nile Dutch Africa Line B.V. © 2013 Nile Dutch Africa Line B.V.

TAC01_vPRINT READY.indd 27

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www.niledutch.com

Africa NileDutch is a major carrier for us because they are one of the few that directly provide services to and from West Africa. NileDutch delivers an extremely high standard of service and is an important player for us.

Steven Laenen, Lancaster Forwarding and Logistics, Belgium

Africa TAC01_vPRINT READY.indd 28

personal

accessible

reliable 11/03/14 16:18