Opening new markets and exporting to the so-called ‘distant arc’ countries are becoming increasingly frequent issues. And this invites two questions: how to sell and how to deliver? To address the second of the two questions Belarusian exporters are looking for freight forwarders who are able to build a route, draw up a correct package of documents and deliver the cargo.
Cargos are shipped to Africa either by air or by sea.
The bulk of air freight is carried by flights of Turkish Airlines, Emirates, EgyptAir. In most cases, these are transit shipments, and it may even be necessary to first deliver the cargo to the nearest major air hub, such as Istanbul or Dubai, and then re-register it on flights to Minsk or airports of the Moscow air hub. For urgent deliveries or oversized cargos that cannot be flown by regular passenger aircraft, it is always possible to organise a charter flight. Belarusian and Russian cargo airlines offer this option, most likely to be executed by the IL-76 series aircraft capable to deliver cargoes of about 20-40 tonnes while keeping the total volume up to 210 m3. Such solutions are primarily suitable for the small segment of perishable, high-value and time-sensitive goods.
Most of shipments are delivered by multimodal (i.a. sea) transport via Russian, Turkish or Iranian ports.
The route depends primarily on the cargo type. If it is, for example, milk powder or any cargo not subject to EU sanctions, it is easier and cheaper to rely on the time-proven logistics via Baltic ports. If the cargo is restricted or the sender himself is under sanctions, the Russian ports of St. Petersburg, Novorossiysk, Rostov can be used.
North Africa is currently the most accessible region for sea freight. Carriers under Russian, Turkish and Egyptian management deliver cargoes to the Mediterranean. The ports are well-developed and capable of receiving both container shipments and dry bulk cargoes.
The logistics in the Eastern part of the African continent is centered around the port of Mombasa (Kenya). In the South, the many ports and a huge land transport hub of South Africa are ready to receive a wide range of cargoes.
By contrast, the Western part of Africa and countries around the Gulf of Guinea are the most difficult for direct deliveries fr om Russian ports. Here one needs to consider transshipment options via third countries.
In some cases, it makes sense to bring a cargo to a country with developed port services first, and then take in onward by road to the destination country .
Of course, there are risks inherent in such work. They have to do with unscrupulous and slow - on the verge of laziness - African representatives of logistical companies.
When working with Africa it is always important:
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to move cargos only after contracts and orders have already been signed;
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check well in advance all cargo codes and their full description with the freight forwarder and the shipping line;
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take payment statistics from your bank to check the possibility of paying for services abroad;
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make sure that the freight forwarder has experience in such carriages, find out which associations he is a member of and with which lines he has direct contracts.
In conclusion, one should note that African partners face even more difficulties with collecting Belarusian goods purchased on FCA terms. Sales would certainly develop more rapidly should contracts stipulate delivery to the recepient’s address, or at least to his region or a neighbouring country, wh ere he could pick the goods up himself.
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