[ ECU-Line’s Developments in Africa ]

As of February 15th 1998, ECU-Line has started with a very ambitious p
rogram in Egypt. They have opened 5 own offices in Egypt : a headoffic
e in Cairo, port offices in Alexandria and Port Said, and sales office
s in “5th of October” and Ramadan City.
ECU-Line EGYPT will be managed by a Swiss person who has 30 years of e
xperience in Egypt and who consequently can combine hes international
and local know-how perfectly.
Preserntly ECU-Line is offering 3 departures a month to following West
-African destinations : Cotonou(Benin), Douala(Cameroun), Pointe Noire
(Congo), Libreville(Gabon), Banjul(Gambia), Tema(Ghana), Conakry(Seneg
al), Luanda(Angola), Monrovia(Liberia), Lome(Togo) and Kinshasa(Republ
ique du Congo).
The transit times to all these destinations are varying between 11 and
24 days and the departures are based on OTAL.
With immediate effect ECU-Line offers a new direct service to Nouackch
ott(Mauritania). One departure a month is offered via OTAL, with a tra
nsit time of 12 days to Nouackchott. ECU-Line’s agent in Nouakchott i
s VOTRA S. A.
ECU-Line also has own offices in Cameroun, Ghana, Senegal, Benin and T
ogo and has further plans for establishments in Gambia, the Ivory Coas
t but also Mali, Burkina Fasso, Nigeria, Centraal0Afrika, Tchaad, Belg
isch Congo, etc.
ECU-Line’s intention for the future is to set up a very strong Centra
l and West-African network of own offices, if possible with customs-bo
nded warebouses in order to enable them to put in long-term charter tr
ucks or own trucks.
They want to set up groupage services via these West and Central-Afric
an transit ports to inland destinations in Mali, Burkina Faso, Central
-Africa, Tchaad, etc... but also vice versa... setting up LCL services
out of these countries up to Antwerp for further distribution to Euro
pean or world-wide destinations.
Therefore ECU-Line has made from the beginning the necessary agreement
s with the customs-bonded private warebouses that are equipped with ow
n personnel and the necessary equipment, forklifts, etc... in order to
have as much as possible under their own control and consequently red
uce pilferages and/or damages to a strict minimum.
Out of Ghana they already have an export service upto Antwerp for dist
ribution to world-wide destinations and ECU-Line is now developing the
same out of Senegal, Abidjan and possibly also Benin and Togo.