Mahe Shipping Company Limited and Air Seychelles Cargo handle first transshipment successfully |25 September 2021

Offloading of the container

The unprecedented times have not only changed the way people interact with each other, but it has also changed the manner in which shipping of goods is handled.

Mahe Shipping Company Limited, one of the leading freight forwarding companies in the Seychelles, together with its partner Freight and Transit Company Limited based in Mauritius, in collaboration with Air Seychelles Cargo, has for the first time ever successfully handled an exceedingly large cargo transshipment from sea to air freight.

Delivered at Air Seychelles cargo in a 40ft container yesterday, as per the requirement of the supplier, the over 4 tonnes of fabrics transported by sea to the Seychelles originating from Madagascar, was transshipped by Mahe Shipping Company Limited for onward dispatch by air via Doha to the most populous city in the United States of America (USA) state of Texas, Houston. To facilitate the connection of this traffic, Mahe Shipping and Air Seychelles also gathered the support of all stakeholders including the Seychelles Civil Aviation Authority (SCAA) and Seychelles Revenue Commission (SRC) to ensure a smooth operations throughout. Air Seychelles staff members across the company also extended their support to the cargo team to ensure the offloading, screening, weighing and build-up of the transshipment is handled and processed effectively.

Pleased with how the operation proceeded, Juliette Pascal, head of cargo operations at Air Seychelles, said: “For this new facilitation, we are indeed amazed by the collective efforts of all stakeholders and staff members across the business for their assistance. This new movement of international transshipment has not only given impetus significance to Air Seychelles Cargo, but it has also shown the capabilities of the team in going the extra mile to meet the needs of customers.”

Andy Gobine, head of project cargo and sea freight export at Mahe Shipping who led the exercise, noted the success in how the cargo was handled and the manner in which Seychelles can facilitate such transshipment in the future.

Mr Gobine commented: “Mahe Shipping Company Limited always strives to deliver the best and most efficient service to its customers. While there are other variables relevant for choice of transshipment, today's operation has shown that Seychelles as a destination can also be used as a gateway to facilitate cargo and container connections. The results of today’s operation will be replicated, noting the sensitivity of air cargo transshipment, to time rather than monetary costs, as we continue to deliver the best service to our clients."

Transshipment is the shipping of cargo or containers to an immediate destination from one vessel to another, before being shipped off to their intended destination. Mahe Shipping Company Limited together with Air Seychelles Cargo following the success of this first transhipment has shown that Seychelles can be used as a transit point to connect goods produced in the Indian Ocean through a combination of using sea and air freight, to destinations where borders are restricted due to Covid-19 or faced with unfavourable sea and air freight connections.

Joint press release from Mahe Shipping Company Limited and Air Seychelles