Maersk and Grindrod to partner up

A Danish shipping company, A. P. Moller-Maersk, has announced a partnership with a South African shipping service provider, Grindrod Limited, to enhance its capabilities as a global integrator of logistics in South Africa.

According to Ships and Ports, this new joint venture will ensure that the logistics activities of Grindrod’s intermodal business and the ocean activities of Ocean Africa Container Lines will complement Maersk’s current ocean capabilities as well as logistics and services.
The company said it would have a 51 per cent share in the proposed joint venture, which would increase its access to landside infrastructure and capabilities as it sought to deliver reliable logistics solutions.
Maersk Southern Africa and Islands Area Managing Director, Jonathan Horn, said, “We will have a far greater ability to integrate solutions between ocean and the landside whilst weaving into our organisation an increased capability and experience through colleagues from Grindrod, who has long held a reputation in the landside logistics space.”
Maersk said bringing together logistics operations skills and capabilities under the new proposed joint venture would create a base for growth and enable Maersk to excel in the logistics and services products execution through better-serving customers via intermodal solutions in trucking, rail, depots, warehousing, and ocean fendering.
According to the company, the partnership is still subject to regulatory approvals.
It said the new organisation would be formed and become operational within a few weeks after approval has been granted”.
This report is quoted from the online maritime news site, PUNCH.