The Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) has an innovative, flexible and unique approach to shipping that has allowed the company to grow significantly over the last fifty years. Founded in 1970, MSC is now the biggest user of the South African ports and by 2003 was the second biggest container carrier in the world.

MSC has 524 offices in 155 countries with a team of 100 000, and a dedicated fleet of 600 container vessels with an intake capacity of circa 23 million TEU. The global sailing schedule covers 230 trade routes and calls at more than 500 ports.

MSC provides global coverage, linking South Africa directly with Europe, UK, USA, Asia, Middle East, India, Pakistan, Far East, Australia, New Zealand as well as the key ports of Africa’s West Coast, East Coast and the Indian Ocean Islands, South America, Madagascar and Mozambique. MSC’s dramatic growth over the past decade can be attributed to two things: the quality management system that aims at consistently improving upon service levels within the shipping community and MSC’s willingness to initiate change to meet the requirements of clients and principals.

South African Investments
MSC has significant investments in the South African property market, with instantly recognisable office buildings in Durban, Cape Town, Port Elizabeth, Johannesburg and Pretoria.

In addition, MSC has invested in multiple depot and logistics sites throughout South Africa and has made significant leasehold improvements to operational depot and logistics sites located in the Transnet port precincts of Durban, Coega and Cape Town.

Technical Expertise
MSC’s hugely successful technical division, which was expanded in 1998, operates a world-class, full- scale engine repair and maintenance facility. This is headed up by a team of highly trained Italian and South African technicians and MSC is also involved in providing training and upskilling in this field.

Diversification
MSC has successfully diversified into the business of container depots, mineral packing sites and warehouses, most of which have custom bond facilities. These are situated in Durban, Cape Town, Johannesburg, Coega, East London, Rosslyn and Pretoria. Rosslyn boasts its own rail siding as facilitating clients’ access to their manufacturing plants, is a particularly critical issue for the motor industry.

In addition, MSC has successfully diversified into the business of providing landside trucking services across South Africa with a dedicated owned fleet of trucks and trailers and a pool of owner/driver trucking service providers.

Social Responsibility
From a socio-economic perspective MSC mainly contributes to charities such as the Domino Foundation focusing on early childhood development, Reach for a Dream and the upliftment of the community of Umzimkhulu, which is one of the poorest in the country with a high HIV rate. MSC funds various schools and provides access to bursaries to its employees’ children.

A training academy has been established to upskill, train (at MSC’s own expense) and provide employment to black South Africans in the fields of hospitality and also in the field of maintenance and repair in the shipping industry. This is a ten-year project with an investment of R102 000 000.

Training Programmes/Skills Development
MSC offers several training and learnership pro- grammes to employees across the organisation as well as to unemployed youth and people with disabilities:

• International Trade
• Liner Trade
• Basic Legal Principles
• Supervisory Skills
• Manage Logistics Operations
• Communication Skills
• Grievance & Discipline
• Analysing & Solving Problems
• Conflict Management
• Health & Safety
• Customer Service
• Manage Personal Finance
• Telephone Etiquette
• CSI Courses
• Several online courses relating to business operations and compliance
• Learnership: International Trade
• Learnership: Freight Forwarding & Customs Compliance
• Learnership: Shipping

MSC attributes its success to the extremely close relationships that they have built with clients; a strategy they anticipate will move MSC into the number one position in the world in the future.