Retail boom in Africa drives top courier firms to deepen
business penetration

AFRICA's retail industry's potential is significant with key countries ripe for expansion including Rwanda, Nigeria, Namibia, Tanzania and Gabon, supported by IMF's forecast of GDP growth at six per cent.
The demand for retail goods is led by the explosion in Africa's middle class over the last 30 years, according to the Deloitte accountancy and is set to grow to 1.1 billion by 2060.
The launch of AT Kearney African Retail Development Index, details the country's retailers like South Africa's Shoprite operating in more than 16 African countries. >More
 

Cosco, Ports America, APMT, ICTSI and PE firms bid for
Piraeus port

CHINA's Cosco Group has expressed interest in purchasing most of the 67 per cent stake in the Greek Port of Piraeus (OLP) in competition with five others bidders in an exercise to conclude by the end of the year.
Five bids have come in from Ports America, Maersk unit APM Terminals, private equity firm Cartesian Capital Group, Manila's ICTS and investment company Utilico Emerging Markets Limited.
Cosco Pacific upgraded two of the port's piers five years ago. It has since pledged another EUR230 million (US$313.8 million) for capacity expansion over seven years in return for exemption from fees paid to state-owned OLP port. >More
 

Security should not be lax though global piracy drops to
record low since 2007

GLOBAL piracy is at its lowest levels in the first quarter since 2007 at 49 piracy incidents in which two vessels were hijacked, 37 vessels boarded, five vessels fired upon and five attempted attacks were reported.
According to the latest International Maritime Bureau (IMB) Piracy Report, 46 crewmembers were taken hostage and two kidnapped from their vessel.
Somalia remained at the same number of incidents of first quarter 2013. Of the five reported, three were attempted hijacks and two were vessels fired upon.  >More
 

MOL, Evergreen, Cosco start Asia-W Africa loop as CMA CGM
beefs up

MOL, Evergreen Line and Cosco are launching a weekly direct service from Asia to West Africa, branded the WA1, to meet the increasingly diverse commercial requirements in Africa.
Meanwhile, the French shipping giant CMA CGM is continuing to flex its muscles in the West Africa trades by adding capacity to its ASAF service by deploying 12 containerships of 5,700 TEU.
In so doing, it has become the first carrier to use ships of this size to call directly at West Africa ports. >More
 

Mediterranean transshipment hub ports outperform global
market growth

PORTS bordering the Mediterranean Sea are expected to have recorded three to six per cent growth in 2013, compared to around 3.3 per cent growth at global container ports.
Transshipment volumes at key Mediterranean hubs are predicted to have risen by an average of more than eight per cent, with a number of ports showing even higher growth rates, according to Drewry's Container Insight Weekly's preliminary estimates.
The researchers attribute the increases experienced at west Mediterranean hubs to greater relay transshipment activity, albeit there has been recovery in feeder volumes to and from the Black Sea and North Africa for central Med hubs. >More