Africa enjoys the fastest-growing economy today, and the supply chain is the backbone of that economy but, it is the maritime logistics on the continent that power the economy.
Maritime logistics, or water transportation, is the primary facilitator of import and export across Africa.
Maritime logistics is the gateway for millions of African businesses to touch the world.
What is Maritime Logistics
As much as it may seem, not all supply chain originates from land transportation. Maritime logistics is mostly hidden from the average customer. But for a continent like Africa that mostly depends on imports, it is an essential part of its economy.
Maritime logistics is transporting goods and services through water bodies such as the seas and oceans. In Africa, most goods, from petroleum products to cars and other everyday commodities, are brought into the continent through maritime logistics.
It is the main international trade route for most businesses on the continent.ย Water transportation is often the middle stage of an intermodal transportation process.
The transportation mode is essential for large volumes of commodities transported over long distances. Maritime logistics is usually facilitated through ships and containers used to protect and differentiate each individual goods.
Components of Maritime Logistics in Africa
There are three major components of Maritime Logistics, they are:
๐๐จ๐ซ๐ญ๐ฌ: These are facilities built at the seashore to connect land and waters for the ship and its goods. Every Vessel leaves or docks at the port, even really small ones.
๐ฉ๐ฒ๐๐๐ฒ๐น๐: These are vehicles that transport goods and people across the water. They are water vehicles designed to move on water, ranging from small boats to large vessels with thousands of containers.
Water bodies: Large settlement of water. It could be Lakes, Rivers, Seas, and Oceans.
Other components of Maritime Logistics include:
๐๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ด๐ผ ๐ต๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ๐น๐ถ๐ป๐ด: This process is the loading or unloading of cargo to and fro ships and storage facilities typically located in ports or terminals.
๐๐๐๐๐ผ๐บ๐ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ด๐๐น๐ฎ๐๐ผ๐ฟ๐ ๐ผ๐ณ๐ณ๐ถ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ฎ๐น๐: Because so much of maritime logistics is done internationally; countries have customs and other officials manning their borders to regulate goods entering and leaving their sovereign nations.
๐๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ถ๐ด๐ต๐ ๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ๐๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐, ๐ฎ๐ด๐ฒ๐ป๐๐ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ฏ๐ฟ๐ผ๐ธ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐: People and businesses help facilitate the maritime transportation of goods for businesses across the continent. They are popularly known as freight forwarders.
Benefits of Maritime Logistics in Africa
Maritime logistics is unlike other modes of transportation. Here are some benefits to it.
1. International Trade
Maritime logistics is the chief facilitator of international trade across the continent. It connects Africa to the rest of the world and enables trade and logistics between countries in Africa and their international trading partners.
2. Large Volumes Shipment
Maritime logistics enables easy transportation of large volumes of goods compared to other modes of transportation. A single vessel may carry thousands of containers containing millions of products in a single journey.
3. Cost Effective
Imagine transporting a single container by road using a truck from Accra to London. The cost implications of that would be astronomical.
However, you can transport tens and thousands of the same container through water for the same or a fraction of the price. The bottom line is maritime logistics offers a cost-effective mode of transportation.
4. Safety
This is because there are emergency boats and robust evacuation plans.
Maritime logistics also enables large volumes of dangerous goods to be transported safely without worrying about impacting lives during an accident.
5. Sustainable Transportation
In a world where sustainability practices are increasingly demanded, maritime logistics provides a key method of reducing carbon footprints while effectively transporting goods to consumers and businesses.
Challenges of Maritime Logistics
Although there are substantial benefits to maritime logistics on the continent, it is also subject to a few challenges.
1. Infrastructure Deficit
Several ports across Africa are underdeveloped and overwhelmed. It can sometimes be a nightmare to receive goods in a country or send them out due to container congestion.
Many ports are far behind schedule, leading to supply chain disruptions or increased lead times and expenses.
2. Corruption
There is a high level of corruption amongst port officials, which also complicates processes. This leads to inefficiencies and loss of revenue for businesses.
Many times crippling smaller businesses. Corruption is usually encouraged to avoid paying the necessary tariffs and taxes. Many times, it is also done for preferential treatment.
3. Bad Policies
Many African countries suffer from out-of-touch policies, which often manifest themselves in state infrastructure such as the seaports. This could be an overly complicated process with huge tariffs and taxes.
It is often easier for businesses to pay bribes than go through the regular process, which makes it challenging to track what is entering or leaving that country.
4. Security
Maritime logistics in Africa faces a substantial amount of threats across the board. Whether it is piracy, smuggling, or human trafficking, serious security concerns make businesses invest in private security, leading to increased costs.
5. Landlocked Countries
About a third of landlocked countries across the globe are found in Africa. Landlocked countries depend on neighbouring countries and ports to facilitate trade in these countries, which causes delays and increases the cost of receiving goods for each of these countries.
Best Practices for Maritime Logistics in Africa
These are tips on how governments and businesses can improve Maritime logistics in Africa.
1. Invest and Maintain Port Infrastructure
Investing in infrastructures that support the economy greatly impacts how it functions in the long run. Maritime is a big part of the African economy, and it makes sense for governments to invest in their port infrastructure.
This is because it will greatly facilitate the processing of goods in the ports, clear congestion, and improve import and exportation rates.
2. Review Policies
Itโs time for African governments to review their port policies, and a great place to start will be at the ports. Review policies, simplify the processes, and curb corruption across the ports.
This will encourage businesses to do more, bringing in more money for the government.
3. Integrate Technology
Technology has always been great for simplifying speeding up across different industries. It has the potential to do the same in Africa.
Tech solutions like RFID (Radio-Frequency Identification) and data analytics can improve tracking visibility and optimize operations in ports across Africa.
4. Collaboration Between Government and the Private Sector
To enhance the port’s operations, governments across Africa can collaborate with businesses in the private sector to integrate tech solutions, drive suitable investments, decongest ports, and implement resilient measures.
As a part of collaboration, governments can explore the PPP (private-public partnership) to finance, manage, and introduce expertise to port operations.
5. Customer-Centric Approach
Business institutions tend to do better compared to government institutions. This is true for processes and outputs. And it is because businesses tend to take a customer-centricย approach.
Ports across Africa can implement the same approach into their day-to-day operations. It will lead to reliability, efficiency, and transparency. All culminating in excellent service.
6. Training and Development
Many of the staff operating the African ports do not have the necessary or sufficient training, leading to a breakdown of operation.
There should be an investment in extensive training and development of these staff. Training and development will also help curb part of the corruption going on across these ports.
7. Risk Management
Covid-19 caused a lot of disruption in the ports across Africa. Developing risk mitigation strategies that can help with natural disasters or political instability is important to avoid disruptions.
Maritime Logistics in Africa: Tips for Choosing the Right Shipping Carriers or Lines.
๐ญ. ๐จ๐ป๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐๐๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ฌ๐ผ๐๐ฟ ๐ฆ๐ต๐ถ๐ฝ๐ฝ๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐ฃ๐ฟ๐ถ๐ผ๐ฟ๐ถ๐๐ถ๐ฒ๐: Consider the type of cargo you’re transporting, the amount, the frequency of shipments, and the destinations.
๐ฎ. ๐๐๐ฎ๐น๐๐ฎ๐๐ฒ ๐๐๐ฎ๐ถ๐น๐ฎ๐ฏ๐น๐ฒ ๐๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฟ๐ถ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐: Conduct extensive research and source quality carriers with a substantial African presence and a track record of reliability.
๐ฏ. ๐ฉ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ถ๐ณ๐ ๐ฆ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐๐ถ๐ฐ๐ฒ ๐๐ผ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ด๐ฒ: Check to see if they have a broad reach that covers your shipping routes and can efficiently serve your consumers.
๐ฐ. ๐๐ ๐ฎ๐บ๐ถ๐ป๐ฒ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฆ๐ฎ๐ณ๐ฒ๐๐ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ฆ๐ฒ๐ฐ๐๐ฟ๐ถ๐๐ ๐ ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐๐๐ฟ๐ฒ๐: Safety and security are paramount. Ensures that carriers are safety cognizant and have a track record of safety.
๐ฑ. ๐๐ผ๐ป๐๐ถ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ป๐๐ถ๐ ๐๐ถ๐บ๐ฒ๐: Examine transit times for various carriers and routes. Select carriers that satisfy your delivery schedules while considering cargo type and shipment mode.
๐ฒ. ๐๐ผ๐๐ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ฃ๐ฟ๐ถ๐ฐ๐ฒ: Request and compare precise pricing estimates from carriers. Make certain that you get transparent pricing that is within your budget.
๐ณ. ๐๐ผ๐ป๐๐ฎ๐ถ๐ป๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐๐พ๐๐ถ๐ฝ๐บ๐ฒ๐ป๐ ๐๐๐ฎ๐ถ๐น๐ฎ๐ฏ๐ถ๐น๐ถ๐๐: Confirm that carriers have availability for the container types and sizes required for your goods.
๐ด. ๐๐๐๐๐ผ๐บ๐ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐๐ผ๐ฐ๐๐บ๐ฒ๐ป๐๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป ๐ฆ๐๐ฝ๐ฝ๐ผ๐ฟ๐: Confirm that transporters are familiar with African customs and their processes. Select carriers who can help with documentation and clearance procedures.
๐ต. ๐ฅ๐ฒ๐ณ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ป๐ฐ๐ฒ๐ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ง๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ธ ๐ฅ๐ฒ๐ฐ๐ผ๐ฟ๐ฑ: Request references from other businesses that have used the carrier’s services. Positive comments and a proven track record are signs of dependability.
๐ญ๐ฌ. ๐ง๐ฒ๐ฐ๐ต๐ป๐ผ๐น๐ผ๐ด๐ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ง๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ธ๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐๐๐๐๐ฒ๐บ๐: Select carriers that provide modern technology solutions, like online tracking systems, to give you real-time visibility into the progress of your shipments.
FAQs on Maritime Logistics in Africa
Q1. What are Africa’s major ports?
Africa’s coastline is dotted with ports. Ports of great importance include the Port of Durban in South Africa, the Port of Mombasa in Kenya, the Port of Lagos in Nigeria, the Port of Djibouti, and the Port of Tangier in Morocco.
Q2. How can I track cargo movement in African ports?
Many African ports provide internet tracking through their websites. You can also track goods via shipping line websites or by contacting the port’s customer care or customs authorities.
Q3: What are the environmental problems in African marine logistics?
Pollution from shipping activities, oil spills, overfishing, and the influence of port operations on marine ecosystems are all environmental concerns. Sustainability initiatives address these challenges.
Obinabo Tochukwu Tabansi is a supply chain digital writer (Content writer & Ghostwriter) helping professionals and business owners across Africa learn from real-world supply chain wins and setbacks and apply proven strategies to their own operations. He also crafts social content for logistics and supply chain companies, turning their solutions and insights into engaging posts that drive visibility and trust.
