TransNamib Transports 3,881 Tonnes Of Fuel
Namibia’s railway company, TransNamib, in conjunction with the state-owned oil company Namcor, has so far this year transported 3,881 tonnes of unleaded petrol and diesel to oil depots within Namibia. Paulo Coelho, Manager of Marketing, Communication and Public Relations at Namcor, stated that for deliveries to specific locations, Namcor has been delivering bulk fuel products (Diesel and ULP95) to Namcor’s Otjiwarongo depot in central Namibia. ‘This decision is based on the safety and efficiency offered by our rail network for transporting bulk fuel products.’ On the other hand, Coelho noted that the Memorandum of Understanding signed between Namcor and TransNamib on 6 September 2021 for the transportation of 3,600 tonnes of lubricants per month has not commenced yet due to lower volumes.
‘Regarding the quantity of petroleum and lubricant products transported by Namcor since the agreement was signed, we have not yet commenced the transportation of lubricants with TransNamib. This is owing to lower volumes, and our strong client relationships allow us to deliver lubricants directly to our customers,’ said Coelho. The deal between Namcor and TransNamib was intended to enable rail transport of various petroleum and lubricant products throughout Namibia and into neighbouring countries.
The agreement was designed to create the opportunity to increase capacity for both entities through the development of petroleum storage facilities that will enhance the road-to-rail network strategy. TransNamib had made available key strategic locations to Namcor for this project to allow for efficient and effective transportation and delivery of the product. The key operational locations included the TransNamib premises in Otjiwarongo, Walvis Bay and Grootfontein.
Namcor currently operates eight sites and has a further five under construction and development across the country. TransNamib is a major transporter of bulk liquids such as fuel, jet fuel, petroleum gas, oil and avgas. In the 2020/21 Annual Report, TransNamib stated it transported 125,443,601 tonnes of bulk fuel against a target of 250,500,607 tonnes.
TransNamib provides specialised bulk-transport services to most major economic sectors in Namibia. These include agricultural products like milk products, sugar, timber, maize, wheat, firewood, stock feed, charcoal and fertiliser.
The company provides rail transport solutions to most of the mines in Namibia. Main commodities transported by rail are uranium, copper, coal, zinc, machinery for mining, and other exported mining products. The company also offers transport solutions for the importing and distribution of building materials such as cement, steel, bricks, iron and sand. TransNamib also transports heavy commodities such as motor vehicles, tractors, hardware, machinery, pipes, bottles and electrical appliances.
By: Chamwe Kaira