NORDEN has entered into a new business area of port logistics, signing a major contract with manganese mining company Comilog.
Over the 10-year agreement, NORDEN is responsible for setting up and operating a transshipment solution in Gabon, Central Africa with an investment of around $40 million.
“Port logistics is an exciting new growth opportunity for us as we look to take our business beyond a standard freight service to an innovative supply chain partner,” said NORDEN CEO Jan Rindbo.
Development of the port logistics business is managed by the newly established Logistics & Climate Solutions team, which works to deliver sustainable supply chain solutions to customers by investing in selected port logistics.
The Gabon project has seen NORDEN establishing a floating transfer station 40 kilometres away from the existing port, to allow for the use of Capesize vessels – some of the world’s largest dry cargo ships. Cargo is transported on barges from the port to the floating transfer station, where it is loaded onto the vessels and shipped to Asia.
The agreement with Comilog sees NORDEN handling the ocean freight for a portion of the transshipped cargo. Utilising larger vessels solves a major bottleneck for Comilog, making the operation more efficient while at the same time reducing carbon emissions of the transport.
Comilog is a subsidiary of French metallurgical group Eramet.
