GAC's expansion plans under way in Africa

GAC Group, a global shipping, logistics and marine services provider, has commenced its operations in Maputo, Mozambique, with plans under way for a second office in Beira as part of its African expansion.

GAC will be on supporting the country's rapidly growing oil and gas, mining and energy supply industries. Oil drilling offshore Mozambique is due to start in three blocks next year, as is construction of the new Maputo refinery.

"The global energy market figures prominently on our corporate radar, so expanding into Mozambique is a natural progression," said Erland Ebbersten, GAC's Regional Director for Europe, Mediterranean, Black Sea, Caspian Sea and Africa

"Increasing bulk cargo volumes coming through Maputo due to regional port congestion and the country's fledgling coal industry will add up to a busy 2009 and beyond for Mozambique. GAC will support the country's infrastructure development and establish Mozambique ports as gateways to the landlocked economies of southern Africa."

GAC Mozambique provides shipowners with offshore support and supply assistance as well as a full-range of ship agency services and dry bulk expertise. This is supplemented by a full range of logistics services including air, sea, road and rail freight, ship spares and project cargo logistics, customs clearance and bonded warehousing.

Recently, GAC established an office in Algeria to tap into the booming oil and gas sector in Africa.

Located in Algiers, it provides a full range of ship agency services to all kinds of vessels calling at all the Algerian main ports including Annaba, Skikda, Jijel, Bejaia, Algier, Mostaganem, Arzew/ Betioua and Oran.

Since its establishment in Kuwait in the 1950s, GAC has grown to become a leading global provider of shipping, logistics, marine and related services, with a strong presence in the Middle East.

The company currently has more than 300 offices across the world with more than 8,000 employees speaking more than 100 languages to cater to needs of customers in any region.

Meanwhile, GAC's Middle East office has got a new Regional Director. Dan Hjalmarsson, formerly Director of GAC Dubai will become the new Regional Director, replacing Bengt Ekstrand who now moves to Singapore as GAC's Regional Director for Asia Pacific.

Backed by three decades in the shipping and logistics business, Dan has more than 11 years of local management experience in Dubai and Saudi Arabia with GAC.

Apart from driving business growth, GAC believes Hjalmarsson will create greater synergy across offices in the Middle East through sharing of information and maximising efficiency of shared resources.

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