Van den Bosch’s new cleaning facility in Africa now is fully operational.
The tank cleaning station will enable the logistics service provider to set up new transport flows from Africa to the rest of the world, the company reported.
The Netherlands-based logistics services provider opened the new station in Abidjan, the biggest city in Ivory Coast. It was built in compliance with strict European quality standards and also meets food, kosher, and halal cleaning requirements, Van den Bosch said. This is the company’s second cleaning facility in Africa, following one opened in Ghana in 2016.
“With this new facility, we are meeting the high demand in Africa for transporting products in bulk,” Bart van de Vorst, Van den Bosch DMCC managing director, said in a news release. “Moreover, it reinforces our innovative character, as we are now able to clean locally and thus operate more sustainably.”
The quality standards established at the station will allow Van den Bosch to focus on “sustainability, bulk solutions, and the further development of import and export flows,” the company said. “Until now, it wasn’t always possible to unload and then immediately reload, due to the lack of professional cleaning possibilities in West Africa,” Van de Vorst explained.
“The new cleaning operation will help to balance incoming and outgoing transport flows, and will mean less empty running.”
Van den Bosch is working with Lynx Logistics on the new tank cleaning operation, which gives the company a local partner with experience in forwarding and customs clearance for the mining industry. “The cooperation with Van den Bosch gives us the opportunity to increase our presence in the container industry,” said Marc Moukarzel, Lynx director. “We appreciate the keen commitment of Van den Bosch to this partnership, to which both parties are contributing experience and flexibility. I look forward to developing our cooperation further in the future.”
Van den Bosch DMCC manages its deep-sea activities from its Dubai office. It is now one of the biggest tank operators for the food industry in the world. The focus is on the African market, with an emphasis on shipping liquid foodstuffs (such as olive and sunflower oil, ethanol, and glucose) in ISO tank containers.
“With this investment, we are meeting the needs of our customers and the manufacturers in Africa,” Van de Vorst concluded. “In this way, we are working on increasing sustainability and connecting Africa with the rest of the world.”