The AfricA ConneCTion 01

AfricA personAl Accessible reliAble

ma

y 2

01

3

03 executive letter by Jan Willem de Braal

04 The nileDutch story Steering their own course - NileDutch powers

through the current economic crisis by

continuing to innovate

06 feet on the street Singapore: a Cultural Melting Pot

08 The essentials of nileDutch Everything you need to know about

the NileDutch survey, Brand Key and

Brand Essentials

10 customer story Lancaster, Belgium

12 new containers NileDutch passed 100,000 TEU milestone

Advanced reefer technology at NileDutch

14 our new build Vessels Coming soon:

four new build vessels for NileDutch

16 person in the picture Practical, personal and philosophical:

Introducing Ms Moon Wang

18 regional news NileDutch opens 5th office in Angola

Bringing the World together in Dubai

NileDutch Congo opens new office

Expansion of NileDutch Antwerp Branch Office

21 south Africa event Annual cocktail party

22 Guest story Connecting Angola and the Netherlands

24 Agent contact Details

26 sneak peek at issue 2

27 colophon

02

jan willem de braal !

Dear Friends,

Here it is: our first magazine! I suggest you reserve some space close to you in your office as there will not only be many more issues, but they all contain interesting and enter-taining information about NileDutch, NileDutchers and how we are all connected with Africa!

This first issue provides a good insight into the development of NileDutch. We have used our strong, informal, no-nonsense cultural base and ties with both Africa and Rotterdam, to grow into a global professional operator (with new vessels and a large fleet of equipment), which has kept a positive style as we find pleasure in everything that we do!

I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who has contributed to the magazine, including Susanna Terstal, the Dutch Ambassador to Angola (page 22), Steven Laenen, CEO of Lancaster Forwarding and Logistics (page 10), Ed van Leeuwen and Bart Henau (pages 4 and 8) and my fellow NileDutchers: Bert Zondervan, Patrick Mertens, Geert van Ijserloo, Moon Wang, Marc Smulders, Joseph Loulendo, Yolanda de Groot and Costa Vlassis.

As well as this magazine, we also have a new website, new corporate identity and new range of brochures and we will use more media than ever before to keep you updated and informed. This is the result of the survey we did last year, and it shows that some people actually (try to) do something with the input they receive from stakeholders. Therefore I would appreciate hearing your comments about our magazine after the next issue.

Unfortunately The Dutch did not conquer the whole world (as they were supposed to do), so now we have to learn English, French, Mandarin, Spanish, Swahili, Portuguese, German, Russian, Arabic, Japanese, Singlish and a whole lot of other languages that I haven’t heard of (yet). For next issue we aim to print in more than just English, but I hope you are okay with English for the first one.

Please enjoy reading The Africa connection!

03

Steering their own course NileDutch powers through the current economic crisis by continuing to innovate

During times of crisis, companies

tend to respond by reducing costs

and tightening budgets, hoping

that this will be enough to get them

through the difficult times. nileDutch

has purposely steered a different

route: innovating their service line,

increasing sailing frequencies and

investing in new vessels. This route

might be unexpected, but it has been

a successful one.

04

The NileDutch Story ed van leeuwen !

And it’s by taking the unexpected approach that they have grown and evolved from being a small operator fascinated by West Africa into a mature container liner services company that is proud to be considered a West Africa specialist. With their Head Office in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, and a worldwide network of agents, they have proved themselves more than capable of holding their own among the major players.

seTTinG Their courseNaturally, they keep an eye on the global markets, including current and forecasted trends and changes in cargo flows. However, their dedicated network also follows the potential promised by Africa. The quality of the information collected by their network can be summarised by two slogans:• Feetonthestreet• Quickontheirfeet

To NileDutchers, ‘feet on the street’ refers to the personal con-nection that NileDutchers have with their customers and other stakeholders. This gives them a unique insight and knowledge into future possibilities and opportunities for themselves, as well as for their customers.

It’s a fact: they are quick on their feet. Even as they grow, they remain flexible and fast in both thinking and doing. Their structurekeeps them close to the action, wherever it might be taking place.

Maintaining this core competence while growing at such a high rate has required both a continuous streamlining of work pro-cesses and an increase in regionalisation. Their Regional Office in Singapore has recently opened. This doesn’t add layers of bureaucracy; it’s putting the decision makers closer to their customers, closer to the business and closer to the action.

reADinG The nileDuTch mApBeing able to grow while still remaining ‘small’ is a treasure that many companies have searched for. Luckily, NileDutch has the treasure map. The secret hidden in the map lies in being able to incorporate ‘and-and’ situations into their work processes.

some ‘AnD-AnD’ exAmples Are:• Standardise the service AND remain sensitive to specific

customer requirements;• Incorporate organisational structures AND stay entrepre-

neurial;• UseICTtostreamlinebusinessprocessesANDbepersonally

accessible;• RecruitnewstaffANDkeeptheirtraditionalbusinessvalues

alive;• KeepasharpeyeoncostsANDcontinuetoinvestininnova-

tion.

Looking at the last example, NileDutch is simultaneously rolling out a cost reduction programme and making a large ‘anti-cyclical’ investment. While the international container trade is going through a difficult time, NileDutch is looking forward to launching four new top-of-the-range vessels in 2014.

sTeAminG in The riGhT DirecTionEven with their treasure map, the core element of their business is their entrepreneurial nature. It’s an added bonus that their vision, concepts and approach are also contained in a business plan. The NileDutch strategic plan points them in the right di-rection, but doesn’t give step-by-step directions. NileDutchers know and understand that the way from A to B is not a straight line and that the journey is often as important - and interesting - as the destination.

As a Management Consultant, I appreciate the refreshing no-nonsense attitude I find at NileDutch. Bureaucracy, unnecessary overheads and complications are quickly shown the door. Simplicity is welcomed.

They’re ready for the future.

05

ED vAN LEEuwEN

Ed van Leeuwen is an Independent Man-agement Consultant aligning strategy and organisation (‘make it work’). Combiningthe ‘hard and soft’ aspects he is an expert in change management. He works for both profit and not-for-profit organisations. At NileDutch Ed supports the strategy process and the organisational development process.

Singapore: a Cultural Melting Pot

challenging is one way to explain

the process of expanding a company

into new locations and regions, es-

pecially if those new regions are half

way around the world. Differences in

culture, language and working meth-

ods can make or break expansion

plans, so it makes sense to talk to

someone with experience, both on a

personal and a professional level.

06

› Singapore local market

feet onthe StreetDutchman bert Zondervan and his family relocated from NileDutch Head Office in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, to busy Singapore in 2008. Moving to the other side of the world isn’t an easy decision to make, especially with two teenage children to consider. Luckily, Bert has only positive things to say about his experience, from the high quality of healthcare to the good standard of living. His children almost immediately saw the benefits of the international school system and his wife quickly settled into her new life.

Professionally it was the right choice for Bert. He had spent the previous 11 years building up cross-trade traffic for NileDutch from all destinations outside Europe to West Africa and was involved with the Far-East trade on a daily basis. The next step was to move to Singapore to set up and run the NileDutch regional office.

Bert and his family were not alone in their move to Singapore. The numerous international companies in Singapore, includ-ing NileDutch, mean that a constant flow of expats arrive all the time. In fact, 1.5 million residents, from a current total of 5.3 million, are foreigners, placing it sixth worldwide for the proportion of foreigners. Foreigners in Singapore include not only expats, but also foreign workers from countries such as the Philippines, Indonesia and Bangladesh. This has resulted in a culture best described as a melting pot of Chinese, Indian, British and Malay cultures, reflecting its immigrant history.

Even though Singapore is currently the third most densely populated country in the world, after Macau and Monaco, the Singaporean government expects the population to increase to 7 million by 2030, including at least 2.5 million foreigners. To ensure the population expands as smoothly as possible, the government has started a number of works, including expanding the metro system so that everybody lives within a 10-minute walk of a metro station, reducing the necessity of cars.

Regionally, Singapore was the logical choice for NileDutch. As well as a large number of international companies locating their Head Office or a Regional Office in Singapore, anywhere in the region is accessible within a two-hour flight. This makes it extremely easy for Bert and his team to visit customers and NileDutch agents throughout the region.

The Port of Singapore is the other major reason for NileDutch choosing Singapore as their regional base. Its strategic geo-graphical location explains why the Port of Singapore handles the most shipping tonnage each year. It is also the world’sbusiest transhipment hub, with 15% of the world’s total con-tainer transhipment throughput and 5% of global container throughput. And it is the second busiest container port world-wide, after Shanghai. For these reasons, as well as its extensive feeder network, the Port of Singapore was the logical choice to become NileDutch’s regional transhipment hub for all traffic from the area.

Bert has found that being on the ground in the region has given him a good insight into the services that companies in the area require and the ways that NileDutch can fulfil these requirements. Customers are vocal about how much theyappreciate the NileDutch one-stop personal service that ranges from expertise and knowledge about Africa to accessible and professional staff members who are always ready to help and from the ease of doing business with NileDutch to the good regional port coverage. But it doesn’t stop there; Bert and his team are currently looking into the further development of new origins, especially in the Middle East and Indian sub-continent.

Both professionally and personally Bert remains positive about his Singaporean experiences. As he says: “Singapore is a real cultural melting pot. Come and see for yourself.”

07

Bert Zondervan

Take a minute, close your eyes and

think. What does nileDutch mean to

you? Valued supplier, great employer

or resourceful partner?

According to the communications

Department we should be thinking

‘Africa’, ‘personal’, ‘Accessible’ and

‘reliable’. read on to find out why.

Everything you need to know about the NileDutch

survey, Brand Key and Brand Essentials

08

Africa

Personal

Accessible

Reliable

The Essentials of NileDutch bart henau !

The nileDuTch surVeyIn early 2012 NileDutch asked 2,000 people - customers, suppliers, employees and other stakeholders - to complete an online survey. The response rate was high, with 674 people each spending, on average, 23 minutes giving their honest opinion about NileDutch.

The results were astonishing. Numerous stakeholders men-tioned NileDutch’s personal touch, showing that for NileDutch the people are the brand and the brand is the people. But there were also clear divisions in the results. For example, long-term customers loved NileDutch, while recent customers and potential customers didn’t seem to fully understand what NileDutch stood for or their way of working.

While some companies might have decided to hide any un-expected survey results that didn’t fit the outcome they were hoping for, NileDutch took a different approach. The results were presented to everybody at Head Office and in the NileDutch own offices, so that all NileDutchers would know and understand what was needed to done in order to improve the situation.

From a marketing and communications point of view, the next step was to uncover the NileDutch ‘DNA’ to formulate the Brand Key. The Brand Key identifies the elements that make up NileDutch to clearly show what is important to NileDutch and their customers, what value NileDutch has and how NileDutch differentiates itself from the competition.

The nileDuTch brAnD essenTiAlsThe Brand Key, in turn, led to a completely new communica-tion concept. This is based on the four essential elements that make NileDutch into the company it is today: Africa, Personal, Accessible and Reliable.

Africa: Africa has always been part of the NileDutch DNA. With over thirty years of experience, NileDutch has the knowledge and flexibility to deal with the unexpected situations that make working in Africa so challenging and rewarding.

Personal: NileDutch values the personal connection between their customers and all NileDutchers as it gives NileDutch greater

insight into what their customers need. This enables NileDutch to provide the services their customers require, whenever and wherever they need them.

Accessible: being accessible is part of the NileDutch way of working. Using their network of offices around the world NileDutch listens to their customers, answers their questions and offers solutions to any problems that occur.

Reliable: customers count on NileDutch to deliver a reliable schedule and quality service at competitive rates. NileDutch achieves this by striving for Operational Excellence in every aspect of the business.

These four elements, the NileDutch brand essentials, will be the common link between every part of NileDutch communications from now on. Have you already seen them?

our mArkeTinG communicATion plAnParallel to the creation of the Brand Key and the Brand Essentials has been the preparation of the new Marketing Communication plan. Incorporating a new website, a company magazine, a corporate brochure, new stationery, an advertising campaign, press releases and more, the first results are just becoming visible.

We’ve come a long way to get to this point, but it doesn’t end here. Communicating well is an on-going process that we will continue to work on in the weeks, months and years ahead. Our goal: connecting the NileDutch brand essentials of Africa, Personal, Accessible and Reliable to the NileDutch name in everybody’s minds.

Can you help us?

bArT hENAu

Bart Henau is an Independent Brand Consultant. After 25 years in the business, he started BLIND agency in 2010 to help companies to focus on improving their branding. Bart specialises in assisting selected international B2B brands. www.blind-agency.tv

Lancaster Belgium

business today is more than just sup-

pliers providing goods and services

to customers. To make the most of

the opportunities that come along,

suppliers need to move beyond their

traditional role and become a partner,

helping and assisting their customers

in any way possible.

10

› Steven Laenen, CEO of Lancaster Forwarding and Logistics

customer StoryLancaster Forwarding and Logistics, a freight forwarder and logistics expert for dry and frozen food items headed for West Africa from around the world, has been a satisfied NileDutch customer for over 14 years. “They might have started as just a supplier, but we definitely count NileDutch as one of our most important partners now,” says Steven Laenen, Owner and CEO at Lancaster Forwarding and Logistics.

“Our contact people at NileDutch Antwerp, in particular Steven Van Biesbroek, really understand us: our business, our require-ments, our background and our future vision,” explains Steven. “They are aware of every aspect of the service they offer us and provide us with correct and up-to-date information, which is essential when handling food items. Additionally, NileDutch goes out of its way to try and work with us to grow our business, which has the added bonus of increasing their business.

Our partnership with NileDutch ensures that we can rely on a quality service throughout the shipment process. NileDutch advises us about the best shipping options for each customer

pre-notification that we receive, including vessel departure dates, allocation options and available equipment. In case of delay, which can happen when shipping to Africa, NileDutch keeps us up-to-date with the situation and works hard to try and find the most suitable solution for us.”

Steven’s colleague, Monique Peper, Key Account Manager, agrees, saying “To see an example of our partnership at work we could look at our regular reefer shipments from South America to West Africa. Unfortunately we occasionally face a shortage of reefer equipment, but NileDutch always acts as quickly as they can to obtain the reefers that we need. They either ship them to the port of loading from another port in the area or hire them to meet our needs. This the perfect solution for perishable goods.”

When asked, Steven van Biesbroek, Lancaster’s main contact person and Key Account Manager at NileDutch Antwerp, ex-plains the secret behind the Lancaster-NileDutch partnership. “It’s our personal attention to detail that makes all the difference. We check and double-check everything, solve problems as soon as they crop up so they don’t become insurmountable and keep our customers up to date, every step of the way.”

Steven Laenen concludes “I think the most important aspect for me is the professional and helpful attitude that every member of staff at NileDutch has. They do their best to help, offering fast and comprehensive solutions for our daily queries and issues. What more can you ask for?”

11

Our partnership with NileDutch ensures that we can rely on a quality service through-out the shipment process.

Members of the Lancaster teamSteven Laenen at work

12 New coNtaiNerS

With the recent production of 5,000 20ft dry and 2,000 40ft high cube containers, NileDutch passed the 100,000th TEU in service in March 2013.

NileDutch leased its first containers back in 1988, with the first NileDutch-owned containers being built in Indonesia in 1996. The 50,000 TEU milestone was passed at the beginning of

2008 and now, just 5 years later, the NileDutch container fleet has doubled.

Officially, the 100,000th TEU is the 20ft dry container unit NIDU 233000-2, produced at the CIMC factory in Nantong, China between March 9th to 12th.

NileDutch passed 100,000 TEU milestone in March

Advanced reefer technology at NileDutch

13

In addition to the low energy consumption, the units also offer an improved container structure. MCI has studied the most common and costly repairs needed by reefer containers to see where the reefers required extra support or upgraded materials.

Furthermore, MCI reefer units continue to deliver:

• lessdowntimeduetohigherdamageresistance;• the ability to load more cargo due to decreased unit

weight;• improved insulation thanks to the integrated front frame

and effective insulation material; and• theuseofenvironmentalfriendlymaterialswherepossible.

NileDutch is confident that these new reefer units will contribute to improved reefer equipment availability and higher service quality.

The latest 500 40ft high cube reefer

containers ordered by nileDutch

from the maersk container industry

(MCI) in Qingdao, china, deliver the

lowest energy consumption rates of

any reefer container currently avail-

able on the market. compared to

the currently used equipment, they

represent an average of 30% - 40%

less energy consumption per year,

reducing our co2 emissions.

PATricK MErTENS

Patrick Mertens is the Global Container Logistics Manager for NileDutch HQ in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. He is responsible for the management of the empty container fleet and the logistics of container availability. After more than 22 years with in various operational functions with other major container shipping lines, Patrick joined NileDutch in January 2012.

Coming soon: four new build vessels

for NileDutch

our plans for the future are big –

there’s no other way to describe

them. We want to grow and expand,

both the quantity of cargo that we

transport as well as the locations

that we serve. however, this would

be almost impossible to achieve

without increasing the size of our

fleet. With this in mind, in 2010 we

ordered four new vessels to be built

to our specifications. Together they

will bring our fleet up to five owned

vessels and 33 charters. The first

new vessel will be delivered early

2014.

14

Our New build VeSSelS Geert van ijserloo !

Even though the four new vessels won’t be the first vessels that NileDutch has owned, they will be the first vessels that we’ve designed, developed and built based on the requirements of our customers, the ports we visit and the commodities we carry.

The vessels previously owned by NileDutch were all pur-chased second hand, often after chartering the vessel for a while. This gave us the opportunity to get to know the ship - its performance, fuel efficiency, ways to optimise operations, etc. - before the purchase. On the down side, the ships were older, with higher operational expenses and lower fuel efficiency than new vessels. The majority of these vessels have since been retired due to old age.

By ordering new build vessels, we are looking forward to having vessels that perfectly match our requirements, instead of just chartering the best ships available at that moment. The large capacity of each vessel - 3,500 TEUs - will create economies of scale and improve efficiency, making our services even more competitive. The only downside is the long lead-time - we’ve had a three-year wait from the initial order to delivery.

The builDinG processWe started the project at Shanghai Shipyard in China in 2011, with our technical managers, Anglo Eastern, overseeing every aspect of the operation. Both companies have a good track record regarding quality and delivery times, so we’re certain that the end results will be worth the wait.

One of the major advantages of a new build vessel is the op-portunity to adapt the design to our specifications. Shipping to and from Africa involves a unique set of challenges, which we took into consideration during the design phase. For example, the new vessels are a little wider than the standard size to in-crease the cargo intake. Plus, these will be some of the largest vessels on the market to incorporate loading cranes to assist when in port.

We’ll look at the building process in more detail in one of the upcoming issues of The Africa Connection.

The fuTureEveryone involved in the new build project is looking forward to the delivery of the first new vessel in early 2014. Flying under the Dutch flag, the still-unnamed new vessels will be working on the Asia-West Africa line.

Based on the experience so far, there will certainly be oppor-tunities for more new vessels in our future.

15

One of the new NileDutch vessels in 3D (April 2013)

GEErT vAN iJSErLOO

Geert van IJserloo is Fleet Manager for NileDutch, in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. As Fleet Manager, he is responsible for the owned ships and the new build project. After graduation from the Delft University of Technology, Geert started his career at NileDutch in 2002 as a Project Engineer in the Fleet department. He worked on a number of projects before becoming the Fleet Manager in 2009.

Next issue: How to build a NileDutch vessel

Practical, personal and philosophical:

Introducing Ms Moon Wang

since the first nileDutch office in

china opened in 2007, business has

gone from strength to strength. The

dedication and commitment of staff

members like ms moon has played a

major role in this growth. ms moon

Wang joined nileDutch as a Docu-

mentation supervisor shortly after

the Guangzhou office first opened in

2010. she has since been promoted,

first to Deputy manager, and now to

office manager.

16

Ms Moon Wang at work

NileDutch team in Guangzhou

Person in the picture

“I would say that I’m a lucky girl. I have a lot of help and sup-port from the people around me and this allows me to do my job well. Mr Laubel and Mr Ting, my managers, give me a lot of trust and leadership and I have the support of the whole team in Guangzhou. NileDutch is such a positive environment with so many opportunities. I feel lucky to have had so many opportunities in such a short time.

I find it important that we all listen to our customers, to under-stand what they are asking for. Happily, the young team here in the office agree. We are all so passionate about our jobs, so full of energy, it is a pleasure to come to work, and that really shows. Our customers are impressed with the good service we provide.

Learning about our customers is part of our service. Knowing about Africa, and the opportunities it offers, is another part. Africa is an exciting market, especially for Chinese businesses. The Chinese relationship with Africa is growing and strength-ening everyday and I enjoy being able to help improve this connection.

Away from work, I feel happy to have such a loving family. Even though we are now both married with children, my brother and I are still close and we often eat together with our parents. As a wife and a parent I now understand my parents better. My son makes my life full of joy and hope. He can make me angry and tired, but it’s all part of life and I can’t imagine life without him. And with my wonderful husband, the best partner anyone could ask for, I enjoy life everyday. I certainly admire my parents and others of their generation. They have worked hard all their lives, regardless of how difficult the living and work situation was, trying to make life better for my brother and I.

My personal philosophy is to talk to the people who are im-portant to you. Share your happiness and sadness. And try to understand them if, or when, you disagree. If you do all that, you will have the help and love that you need to support you through your life.”

17

The Chinese relation-ship with Africa is growing and strengthening everyday and I enjoy being able to help improve this connection.

18 regionalNeWS

marc smulders !

With offices in four of Angola’s top five ports, the next logical step was to open an office in Namibe. This new office will offer local clients the same high level of service and dedication that customers expect from NileDutch.

The new office will be managed by Helio Oliveira, with a team of six experienced and dedicated NileDutchers to oversee all shipments that pass through the Namibe port.

The Namibe port, located close to Angola’s southern border with Namibe, is the main gateway to and from Lubango, a major city approximately 200km east of the port. The Namibe port is a major hub for foodstuffs, building materials and machinery imports from South East Asia, China, North Europe, Portugal and South America.

NileDutch opens 5th office in Angola

nileDutch has been shipping to and

from Angola for over 30 years. With

direct services to all five of Angola’s

major ports (Cabinda, Soyo, Luanda,

Lobito and Nambia), nileDutch has

become the world’s number 1 carrier

to Angola.

The new NileDutch office in Namibe

bert zondervan !

The importance of Dubai as a key-trading hub in the global economy was highlighted by the presence of a number of coun-try leaders, government ministers and top-level delegations from G20 countries, including Argentina, Australia, Canada, EU nations, the UK and the USA. This is a clear indication of Gul-Food’s statute and the way that the exhibition elevates Dubai’s position as the region’s leading gateway for East-West trade.

Dubai is also gaining importance for NileDutch as increasing numbers of our customers set up offices in the area. Dubai is a globally strategic location, seamlessly connecting Europe, Asia and Africa.

The government realise that mobility supports and drives devel-opment, and invests heavily to sustain growth. One of the two major mobility infrastructure projects currently underway is the expansion of the Jebel Ali port. With the opening of the new Terminal 3 in 2014, the total capacity of Jebel Ali port will be increased to 19 million TEU. This will mean that the port will be able to simultaneously handle ten of the new, giant 18,000 TEU vessels – the only port in the region able to do so.

A global team of NileDutchers flew in from Angola, Antwerp, China, Congo, Rotterdam and Singapore to personally visit customers during the GulFood exhibition and at their offices. The NileDutchers showed their personal touch during a Customer Dinner at one of Dubai’s beach resorts. Over 100 NileDutch customers from around the world attended the event and shared ideas and opinions in a casual, personal and friendly atmosphere.

NileDutch brought the world together in Dubai.

Bringing the World together in Dubai

19

Dubai recently hosted one of the

world’s largest food trade shows,

Gulfood. from february 25th to

28th, over 4,200 exhibitors from 110

countries around the world came

together in Dubai to showcase over

50,000 brands in colourful country

pavilions.

Dubai is a globally strategic location

20

Yolanda de Groot !

NileDutch Congo has recently opened a new Operations and Shipping office in Pointe Noire to offer our customers a dedi-cated location for all their shipping needs. Joseph Loulendo will run the new office.

With the new members of staff and the additional office space, NileDutch Congo is looking forward to being able to provide customers with a better quality service.

On September 1st, 2010 NileDutch Antwerp opened her doors in a picturesque location in the middle of Antwerp’s yacht har-bour. Since then our original 11 members of staff has expanded into 21, matching our fast growth and increasing responsibilities. Unsurprisingly, our office space has become too small.

After looking into alternatives, we decided to stay in our present location and renovate our office so it is ready for a maximum of 43 people. Luckily for us, the company renting the other part of the floor of our office building has recently left, giving us 762m2

to remodel to our needs.

To ensure minimal disturbance to our daily activities, the re-modelling project has been divided into two phases. Phase 1 started on February 4th with the tearing down of the original walls at the back of our original office space. The new space will be divided into four main parts (a large conference room, archives, an office for Manuella Maes and a canteen with a kitchen and seating space for 26 people plus table football). Phase 2 started in mid-March and included a brand new re-ception, a waiting area, two small meetings rooms (one with video conferencing), a printer room and the main office space. The project was finished in April.

NileDutch Congo opens new office

Expansion of NileDutch Antwerp Branch Office

joseph loulendo !

Yolanda De Groot

South AfricaeVeNt

1 - Pravin Parsad during his speech.

2 - L-R: Kevin Moodley (Branch Manager, Cape Town, NileDutch) and Gary Van Niekerk (ASPEN). Gary Van Niekerk enjoyed the NileDutch South Africa video shown during the evening.

3 - L-R: Costa Diakides (GAC Laser), Brett Frederiksen (DN Freight) and Haydn Van Niekerk (DN Freight). These important freight forwarders may be compet-itors in the market, but they agree that NileDutch consistently outperforms the other shipping lines in the industry with the best attention to detail they have ever seen.

4 - L-R: Angelique Odelwage (General Manager, Pride Milling), Christa Green-wood (Pride Milling) and Monique Van Rooyen (Pride Milling). Angelique Odel-wage said that she enjoyed seeing ‘real’ people in the exceptional video.

5 - The NileDutch South Africa Marketing team on stage thanking our guests.

6 - L-R: Gareth Horton (Kuehne & Nagel), Paul Steven (Unitrans), Graham Petzer (Bridge Shipping), Franz Bester (Coca-Cola) and Kevin Spence (Kuehne & Nagel). These large and respected clients of ours unanimously agreed that NileDutch goes the extra mile to not just gain business from our clients, but also to include them in the growth of our business.

Annual cocktail party

date: januarY 31st, 2013

location: hYatt hotel rosebank, johannesburG, south africa

Guest list: niledutch customers and staff

costa vlassis !

Connecting Angola and the Netherlands

There are many ways to describe the

connection between Angola and the

netherlands. Well-established, sup-

portive and mutually advantageous

are just a few. nGos, companies

and governmental agencies in both

countries have worked together to

develop and expand this connection,

bringing benefits to both sides.

22

Guest Story susanna terstal !

Our long-standing relationship started in the 1970s when Dutch NGOs were amongst the first in the world to support Angola in its struggle for independence. After establishing official bilateral relations with Angola on February 18th, 1976, we remained loyal to the country and provided support where we could during the difficult years of the Angolan civil war. Since the end of the civil war in 2002, Dutch development assistance projects have gradually ended and trade and investment opportunities have increased. Companies that established themselves in Angola during the difficult years of the civil war, including NileDutch, have built up good reputations in the country with positive results.

As the Ambassador of the Kingdom of the Netherlands to Angola, I represent the Netherlands as well as Aruba, Curacao and St Martin. In practice this means supporting and advancing Dutch business interests as well as helping Dutch nationalswho reside or visit the country. A lot of my time is spent pro-moting Angola to Dutch companies, encouraging them to visit the country to see the opportunities for themselves and putting them in contact with interesting local companies and business people. The quarterly business gathering is a productive plat-form for Dutch business interests to meet and discuss the local situation.

The current business relationship between the two nations focuses on oil and gas from Angola and chemicals, machinery, agricultural equipment and ICT from the Netherlands. Regard-ing trade between sub-Saharan countries and the Netherlands, Angola ranks 4th for imports to the Netherlands (behind Nigeria, South Africa and the Ivory Coast) and 7th for exports (behind Nigeria, South Africa, Ghana, Kenya, Benin and Guinea). How-ever, Angola is becoming an increasingly important trading partner thanks to the fast pace of development the country is currently experiencing.

Shipping plays a vital role in the Angolan economy as Angola imports many essential daily goods as bulk and container cargo. NileDutch knows this better than anybody - and every Angolan authority and company knows NileDutch. In Luanda it’s normal to see NileDutch containers come and go in the daily traffic.

It’s not just highly visible international companies that have a positive impact on Angola. Any company that offers good jobs - in other words companies that invest in improving the skills and knowledge of local employees and provide good working conditions - as well as selling products and services at reason-able prices have contributed to improving the quality of life in Angola. I’m proud to say that Dutch companies have a strong, positive record here.

Based on our solid relationship during difficult times in the past and the excellent relationship that we now enjoy, I believe that the future relationship between Angola and the Netherlands will only get stronger and deeper. There is so much potential for further growth in both directions, which could benefit both countries. The transfer of knowledge and the strengthening of professional human resources will be key to developing the Angolan economy into a powerhouse in Southern Africa, and these are exactly the areas in which Dutch companies are very active on an international level.

So while the potential for future growth is undeniable, it all starts with a simple connection between people. And that’s where I come in. I’m looking forward to making that next connection.

23

SuSANNA TErSTAL

After studying in the Netherlands, the United States and Italy, Susanna started working for Apple Computers in Belgium, the Netherlands and Costa Rica. In 1993 she joined the Ministry of Foreign Affairs where she held several positions in the legal department. In 2008 she became the Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN in Geneva. She has been the Netherlands Ambassador to Angola since August 2012.

I’m proud to say that Dutch companies have a strong, positive record here.

24ANGOLA

nileDutch Angola - luandaRua Alda Lara nº 25, Vila Alice, RangelLuandap + 244 227 326 980e info@niledutch.co.ao

nileDutch Angola - lobitoRua 25 de Abril n° 212, 1 Esq°Zona Comercial do Lobito (28)Lobitop +244 272 221 016 / 017 / 018e plima@niledutch.co.ao

nileDutch Angola - cabindaRua Irmao Evaristo S/NCabindap +244 231 224 095e dsilva@niledutch.co.ao

nileDutch Angola - soyoKwanda BaseSoyop +244 923 581 003e iantonio@niledutch.co.ao

nileDutch Angola - namibeAvenida Joaquim Morais, Centro Comercial e Negócios Sagrada EsperançaNamibep +244 264 265 500 / 501e holiveira@niledutch.co.ao

ARGENTINA

Abbey seaAv. Alicia Moreau de Justo 1720 2nd Floor, Suite “I”C1107AFJ Buenos Airesp +54 11 43120021e niledutch@abbeysea.com.ar

BELGIUM

nileDutch belgiumGodefriduskaai 262000 Antwerpp + 32 3 206 22 99e sales@be.niledutch.com

BENIN

supermaritime benin sALot 137 Zone RésidentielleCotonoup +229 21 30 92 03 / 04e commercial@niledutch-benin.com

BRAzIL

nileDutch brazilRua do Comércio, 55 Cj 11, CentroCEP 11010-141 SP Santosp +55 13 3328 9500e comercial@niledutch.com.br

nileDutch brazilRua Comendador Araújo143, 15º Floor, Cj 153 CentroCEP 80420-900 PRCuritibap +55 41 2111 5606e comercial@niledutch.com.br

nileDutch brazilAv Ibirapuera, 2033 MoemaCEP 04029-100 SPSao Paulop +55 11 3383 4450e comercial@niledutch.com.br

comexas Afrique s.p.r.l. - Drc West8,QuaiduCommerceBomap +243 99 81 84 081e boma@comexas.cd

EQUATORIAL GUINEA

loguitrans Agencia maritimaAppart Hotel Plaza, 1st FloorBatap +240 222 133355e loguitrans@gmail.com

Deltamar sACarretera Aeropuerto Km 4 (Bioko - Norte)Malabop +240 333 090 897e p.longo@deltamar.com

FINLAND

oy scanway shipping AbItämerenkatu 1FI-00180 Helsinkip +358 9 415 05 422e jjarvinen@scan-shipping.com

FRANCE

nileDutch france sAs Espace Caillard, 4 Etage, Place Caillard76600 Le Havrep +33 680 612 651e bdemare@niledutch.fr

GABON

sAGA GabonZone Portuaire d’OwendoLibrevillep +241 700091e niledutchsales.lbv@bollore.com

GERMANY

m&s mehrtens & schwickerath GmbhTiefer 428195 Bremenp +49 421 363 080e wjohn@msbre.com

GHANA

supermaritime Ghana ltdIndustrial Area, Community 1, New TownTemap +233 303 202874 / 202036e mailghana@supermaritime.net

HONG KONG

nileDutch hong kong19/F1, Shanghai Industrial Investment Building48-62 Hennessy RoadWanchai p +852 27612780e pierre.chui@hkg.niledutchchina.com

INDIA

Transmarine Agencies india pvt ltdNew No. 210, 2nd & 3rd Floor Thambu Chetty Street, 600 001 Chennaip +91 44 4901 8888e shibu@transmarine.in

Transmarine Agencies india pvt ltd510, 5th Floor, Ascot Centre, Off. Sahar Road Andheri (East), 400 099 Mumbaip +91 22 6686 8888e rajat-bom@transmarine.in

Transmarine Agencies india pvt ltd924, DLF Tower B, 11, Jasola District Centre110 025 New Delhip +91 11 4276 8888 e chandan-del@transmarine.in

INDONESIA

pT serasi shipping indonesiaGraha Kirana, 3rd & 12th FloorJl. Yos Sudarso No. 88 Jakarta 14350p +62 21 65311293e erythrina.sianturi@jardine-shipping.com

nileDutch brazilRua Babitonga 71, Centro CEP 89240-000 SCSao Francisco Do Sulp +55 47 3459 0182e comercial@niledutch.com.br

nileDutch brazilAv. Rio Branco 31, 21st Floor, Centro CEP 20090-003 RJRio de Janeirop +55 21 2203 0031e comercial@niledutch.com.br

CAMEROON

sud maritime sARue direction Base Navale, Carrefour Essengue à Coté du Magasin 3T Doualap +237 334 23880e shipping@sudmar.com

CHINA

nileDutch china - GuangzhouRoom 1807, Guangzhou International Electronics Tower, 403 Huan Shi Road East, Yuexiu District Guangzhoup +86 20 8713 9396e ray.han@gzu.niledutchchina.com

nileDutch china - ningbo Room 2803, Portman PlazaNo. 48 North Cai Hong RoadNingbop +86 574 8907 2002e clark.chen@ngb.niledutchchina.com

nileDutch china - QingdaoRoom 2604 Shangri - La CentreNo. 9 Xiang Gang Zhong Road266071Qingdaop +86 532 8090 9136e amis.tian@tao.niledutchchina.com

nileDutch china - shanghai Room 1704-1706, Park Centre1088 Fangdian Road, Pudong201204 Shanghaip +86 21 3865 7800e marco.wang@sha.niledutchchina.com

nileDutch china - TianjinRoom 1408 Tianjin International BuildingNo. 75 Nanjing Road, Heping DistrictTianjinp +86 22 2339 6270e james.zhai@tsn.niledutchchina.com

CONGO

nileDutch congoIntersection des rues Cotê Matève et Tchionga En face de la CFAO, Centre-Ville, B.P. 5131Pointe Noirep +242 069 514 472e nbagniakana@niledutchcongo.com

DENMARK

hecksher linieagenturer A/sBredskiftevej 36-38DK-8210 V Aarhusp +45 8933 6200e p.brun@hecksher.com

hecksher linieagenturer A/sSundkaj 9 Pakhus 48DK-2100 Copenhagenp +45 3916 8100e cph@hecksher.com

DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO

comexas Afrique s.p.r.l. - Drc West15-17, Avenue Colonel, EbeyaBuilding Bracongo, 4 EtageKinshasap +243 99 99 08 920e kinshasa@comexas.cd

comexas Afrique s.p.r.l. - Drc West 6, Avenue LutheloMatadip + 243 89 89 96 900e matadi@comexas.cd

SRI LANKA

Aitken spence shipping ltd315, Vauxhall Street 2 Colombop +94 11 2308100e shipping@aitkenspence.lk

SWEDEN

Joship AbLilla Bommen 2SE-404 27 Gothenburgp +46 31 703 7800e Stefan.nystrom@joship.se

SWITzERLAND

furness shipping ltdHohlstrasse 6108048 Zurichp +41 44 436 9111e furness@furness.ch

TAIWAN

Jardine shipping servicesJardine, Matheson & Co Ltd, 13th Floor50 Hsin Sheng South Road Sec 1 Taipei 10059p +886 223931177e dominic.tsay@jardine-shipping.com

THAILAND

united Thai shipping corporation ltd25 Alma Link Building, 11th Floor Soi ChilomPhloenchit Road, Lumphini, Pathumwan10330 Bangkokp +66 2254 8400e agency.container@unithai.com

TOGO

sDV TogoZone Portuaire, B.P. 34Lomep +228 22 27 5878 / 8476e sdv.lome@bollore.com

UNITED ARAB EMIRATES

The kanoo Group shipping Agencies DivisionP.O. Box 290, Khalid IBN Al Walid StreetDubaip +971 4 393 1900e shpgmktg02@kanoo.ae

UNITED KINGDOM

JsA Global ltd5 Summit Business Park, Langer RoadSuffolk IP11 2 JBFelixstowep +44 1394 678678e niledutch@jsagb.com

VIETNAM

Jardine shipping services ltd3rd Floor, Tasaco Building104+200km Nguyen Binh Khiem StreetDong Hai Ward, Hai An District HaiPhong Cityp +84 31 374 1456e cs@vnhph@jardine-shipping.com

Jardine shipping services ltd3rd Floor Gemadept Tower2bis-4-6 Le Thanh Ton StreetBen Nghe Ward, District 1 Ho Chi Minh Cityp +84 83 8279 350e mai.cao@jardine-shipping.com

pT serasi shipping indonesiaJl. Haji Misbah, Kompleks Multatuli IndahBlok B 31, Medan (Belawan)p +62 61 451 6916 / 17e turino.gunawan@jardine-shipping.com

pT serasi shipping indonesiaJl. Puri Anjasmoro Block F 1 No. 3A Semarang 50144p +62 24 761 9401e maria.yuniastuti@jardine-shipping.com

pT serasi shipping indonesiaKompleks Pengampon SquareJl. Semut Baru Block D No.10 Surabaya 60172p +62 31 355 1555e dwi.putranto@jardine-shipping.com

IRELAND

international maritime Ag ltdBrendan House, 151 Baldoyle Industrial Estate Dublin 13p +353 1 8320709e d.whelan@intl-maritime.com

IVORY COAST

simat – société ivoirienne de manutention et de TransitRue des Pétrolliers, BP 648Abidjan 15p +225 21 75 41 01e norbert.aneye@simat.ci

ITALY

Thos. carr & son srlVia Roma, 2 Int.1216121 Genovap +39 010 8578 909e comm@thoscarr.it

JAPAN

pegasus international co ltd13-40, Konan 2-Chome, Minato-Ku108-0075 Tokyop +81 36 718 0735e Pegasus-tokyo@isis.ocn.ne.jp

MALAYSIA

Aquamaritime logistics sdn bhd Level 15-02A, Plaza Masalam Section 9, 40100 Shah AlamSelangor (Port Klang)p +60 3 5880 4093e peggy@aquamaritime.com.my

Aquamaritime logistics sdn bhd Unit 23A-07A, Level 23A, Menara LandmarkNo. 12 Jalan Ngee Heng, 80000 Johor BahruJohor (Pasir Gudang / Tanjung Pelepas Port)p +60 7221 0798e jeslyn@aquamaritime.com.my

MOROCCO

naxco shipping & logistics maroc44, Rue Mohamed Smiha20000 CasablancaT +212 522 544 770e sales@naxcologistics.ma

NETHERLANDS

nileDutch Africa line b.V. Westblaak 953012 KG Rotterdamp +31 10 281 82 83e info@niledutch.com

nileDutch belgiumGodefriduskaai 262000 Antwerpp + 31 10 206 64 00e sales@be.niledutch.com

NIGERIA

cross marine services nigeria ltd28 Burma Road, P.O. Box 2614Lagos Apapap +234 1 791 2762e sales.nigeria@bollore.com

AG

EN

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ON

TA

CT

DE

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ILS

NORWAY

scanway shipping AsVollsveien 13HN-1326 Lysaker Oslop +47 67 102360e info@scanway-shipping.no

PAKISTAN

m/s Global maritime pvt ltdEastern House, 9 Timber Pond, M.A. Jinnah Road, P.O. Box 4851, Keamari75620 Karachip +92 21 32851945e info@globalmaritime.pk

PHILIPPINES

Jugro Transport international phils corp3818 Mascardo St. Corner, Pasong TomoMakati Cityp +63 2 896 1309e sfe@jugro.com

PORTUGAL

nileDutch portugal & marmedsa Agencia maritima ldaAvenida D. Joao II, Lote 1.18.03, Edificio ArtsBloco B, 2 Andar, Sala C1990-084 Lisbonp +351 21 898 2200e comlis@niledutch.marmedsa.com

nileDutch portugal & marmedsa Agencia maritima ldaRua Eng. Ferreira Dias, No. 728, Sala 3.024100-246 Portop +351 22 090 0500e aferreira@niledutch.marmedsa.com

SINGAPORE

nileDutch singapore pte ltd6 Shenton Way Tower 2, #28-08Singapore 068809p +65 65010760e info@niledutchsingapore.com

SOUTH AFRICA

nileDutch south Africa - JohannesburgHyde Park Lane, Marlborough GateGround Floor, Cnr of William Nicol and Jan Smuts Drive Hyde Park, Johannesburgp +27 11 325 0557e info@niledutch.co.za

nileDutch south Africa - cape TownMetropolitan Life Centre, 7 Coen Stytler StreetCape Townp +27 21 425 3600e kevin@niledutch.co.za

nileDutch south Africa - DurbanRoyal HotelUlundi Place Opposite Royal ParkingDurbanp +27 31 306 4500e info@niledutch.co.za

SOUTH KOREA

kukbo express co ltd11th Floor, Ace Tower, 92, Tongil-ro, Jung-guSeoulp +82 2 771 5514e niledutch@kbe.co.kr

SPAIN

marmedsa noatum shipping AgencyC/ de l’Atlàntic, 112-120Zona d’Activitats Logistiques ZAL, Edificio Norai08040 Barcelonap +34 93 298 77 77e nrincon@marmedsa.com

marmedsa noatum shipping AgencyPIz. Bandas de Musica dela CV No. 11, Piso 1 Puerta 6, Edificio Las Artes II46013 Valenciap +34 96 324 12 60e hayuso@mdmval.marmedsa.com

26

coming up in issue 2 in July 2013:

• The1,000thWEWAvoyage

• CustomerpointofviewfromSouthAfrica

• Focusingonourpersoninthepicture

• FeetonthestreetwithNileDutcharoundtheworld

• HowtobuildaNileDutchvessel

• ThenewNileDutchwebsite

• NileDutchnewsandeventsinyourregion

Sneak Peek at iSSue 2

colophoneDiToriAlExecutive Editor:Jan Willem de Braal

Editorial co-ordinators: Bart Henau Christine Mes Larissa N’gbo Larisa Thuije

Contributors: Yolanda De GrootGeert van IjserlooSteven LaenenEd van LeeuwenJoseph LoulendoPatrick MertensMarc SmuldersSusanna TerstalCosta VlassisMoon Wang Bert Zondervan

DesiGn & proDucTionLarisa Thuije

copyWriTinGChristine Mes

phoToGrAphy mAin ArTiclesPeter Goes

publisheD byNile Dutch Africa Line B.V. CommunicationsWestblaak 953012 KG RotterdamThe Netherlands

WebsiTe: www.niledutch.com

e-mAil: theafricaconnection@niledutch.com

More information and/or editorial contributions should be sent to the above email address.

All rights reserved. Reproduction of this magazine in whole or in part is prohibited without the prior written permission of Nile Dutch Africa Line B.V.

© 2013 Nile Dutch Africa Line B.V.

coming up in issue 2 in July 2013:

• The1,000thWEWAvoyage

• CustomerpointofviewfromSouthAfrica

• Focusingonourpersoninthepicture

• FeetonthestreetwithNileDutcharoundtheworld

• HowtobuildaNileDutchvessel

• ThenewNileDutchwebsite

• NileDutchnewsandeventsinyourregion

AfricA personAl Accessible reliAble

nileDutch is a major carrier for us because they are one of the few that directly provide services to and from West Africa. nileDutch delivers an extremely high standard of service and is an important player for us.

Steven Laenen, Lancaster Forwarding and Logistics, Belgium

Africa

www.niledutch.com