Container collapses under sheer weight of rosewood

1 500 containers have to be re-packed in Walvis Bay before the wood can be exported

Some 160 freight containers, loaded with rosewood (Mukulu) and other hard wood from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), are stuck in the Port of Walvis Bay. An inspection found the containers were not correctly packed and secured and could pose a risk to container ships at sea.

One of the containers was loaded so heavy that it collapsed under the sheer weight of the wood when recently handled by a reach stacker in the port.
The only solution now is to re-pack the containers, a process that is expected to take weeks.
Despite a world-wide outcry, endemic rosewood trees, centuries old, are chopped off in forests in the DRC and transported via Zambia to the port of Walvis Bay for export to China and apparently also Vietnam.
Namibians in general remain convinced Namibia should place a total ban on the export of rosewood and other precious hard woods through our ports, and also stop the export and transport of hard woods harvested for export in northeastern Namibia.

Photo: the collapsed container and a log nearby. The size of the log can be appreciated if compared to the person standing close-by. Below: a picture showing the extend to which the container collapsed.
Some 160 containers laden with rosewood will now have to be re-packed before export through the Port of Walvis Bay would be allowed.

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