On 20 May this year Walvis Bay Salt celebrated the opening of its newly constructed warehouse in the port, as part of its drive to protect the integrity of its product in the port. Levels of pollution in the port have become such a problem that something had to be done to ensure the best quality product for its clients.

The warehouse was erected at a cost of more than N$100M, and only Namibian contractors and service providers were used.

The warehouse can hold up to 120,000 tonnes of product when full and brings the added strategic advantage that opportunistic business can be capitalized upon, especially with regards to vessels to calls on short notice for returning cargo.

The flow of product from the salt heaps to the end-customer is smoothed with the additional buffer capacity and ship loading operations are more efficient. The warehouse is equipped with a sophisticated stock control system that provides real-time management information.

Looking ahead, the company is exploring moving away from the traditional fixed conveyors that are used to load vessels, to a mobile loading system.

Walvis Bay Salt is also Namibia’s largest volume exporter through the Port of Walvis Bay, currently exporting to over 15 countries and generated more than N$36 million for Namport in 2024. Recently some 45,000 tonnes of salt was shipped to Nigeria under the African Continental Free Trade Agreement.