NEWARK, New Jersey, Aug. 24, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- South Africa's national transport company is planning infrastructure improvements that will move cargo from highways to rail, the chief executive of Transnet recently told 300 attendees at the first Breakbulk Africa Congress held on the African continent.

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Transnet CEO Brian Molefe said the investment of R300 billion into capital infrastructure projects through 2019 will decrease transportation prices in a country where moving cargo costs more than five times what logistics providers pay in Europe and the U.S. The congress took place Aug. 7-8 at the Southern Sun Cape Sun Hotel in Cape Town, South Africa.

Molefe's plans for Transnet were part of two days of panels in which transportation and logistics experts discussed the myriad challenges and opportunities found in moving breakbulk and heavy-lift cargo in and out of Africa. Attendees from more than 35 countries listened to descriptions of developing capital projects in East Africa, port productivity issues in West Africa, updates on the piracy threat to commercial shipping, and the increasing number of compliance regulations.

Sobantu Tilayi, chief operations officer at the South African Marine Safety Association, outlined SAMSA's plans to rejuvenate South Africa's ship registry, and a panel of transportation experts discussed the reasons for the dearth of coastal shipping in Africa.

The Breakbulk Africa Congress was sponsored by Kuehne & Nagel, Breadbox Shipping, Precision Specialized, Port of New Orleans, UTi, CMA-CGM, Heestership/ Copenship, Universal Africa Line, Cordstrap, Canada States Africa Line, Lanisource Project Logistics, Fairseas International, Darka Sudan & Fast Global Logistics.

About Breakbulk -- The Breakbulk division of UBM Global Trade has been the most trusted source of intelligence for the breakbulk and project cargo industry since its first breakbulk conference in 1989. The Breakbulk division includes the bimonthly Breakbulk Magazine, three annual conferences and exhibitions, several two-day congresses, and access to business news articles, indices, archives and more on Breakbulk.com and the weekly e-newsletter, Breakbulk Newswire. Authoritative editorial content in the form of daily news and in-depth analysis ensure Breakbulk members have the data and information necessary to understand the issues facing the breakbulk, heavy-lift and project cargo shipping sectors. For membership information visit www.breakbulk.com/membership.

About UBM Global Trade -- UBM Global Trade is the leading provider of proprietary data, news, business intelligence and analytical content supporting commercial maritime, rail, trucking, warehousing and logistics industries worldwide. The company's portfolio of more than 100 online, print and interactive workflow business solutions includes The Journal of Commerce, Breakbulk, RailResource, PIERS and an array of international trade and transportation databases and directories. UBM Global Trade, a subsidiary of UBM LLC, is headquartered in Newark, NJ, with offices throughout the United States. For more information, explore www.ubmglobaltrade.com or call 800-223-0243 (+1-973-848-7250 outside the U.S. or Canada).

SOURCE Breakbulk