Gulf truckers rewarded
Page 17
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
• The estimated £25bn bill for rebuilding Kuwait's infrastructure after the Gulf war could lead to a bonanza for British TIR truckers.
Several UK construction firms have been shortlisted for contracts to carry out emergency repairs, although road haulage through Syria and Jordan will only come into play after more urgent items have been flown or shipped in, says fan Wallace, director of the London-based forwarder Assured Freight. But when it does there will be a substantial demand for road hauliers to carry spares and tools for the rebuilding of Kuwait's industry, he believes. The company — part of the Al!port Freight Group — has set up a Gulf hotline for customers.
Orient Express, also from London, was due to set out for Kuwait this week carrying diesel generators and water supplies. Managing director Andy MacLean predicts that much of the cargo for the rebuilding of Kuwait will go overland. "There are two fast methods of getting to the Mid dle East overland and air," he says. "A truck can get there within 10 days, but a 707 charter will cost £30,000 for 30 tonnes, A TIR trailer, carrying 21 tonnes, will only be £8,000," he says.
Middle East specialist Purfleet-based Brooks Transport, which had drivers stranded in the Gulf when the conflict began, has had "two or three firms on this week" asking how quickly it could arrange for trucks to go to Kuwait.
Astrans, the Maidstonebased forwarder which uses subcontractors with their artics, says it is gearing up for an increase in business. Whittle Hauser of Preston, another firm specialising in the Middle East also says it is being inundated with enquiries.
The Department of Trade and Industry says that several UK construction firms have set up a trade office in Damman, Saudi Arabia to liaise with companies keen to do business in Kuwait. It can be contacted on 010-966-3-857-0595; Chris Wilson is the Foreign Office's commercial consul there. Otherwise, enquiries can be channelled through the DTI.
"Once the reconstruction work starts, there will be a potential for most industries, including road transport," says the DTI. "It's early days, but watch this space."
However, David Hughes of S Jones in Walsall, which half owns a Saudi Arabian trucking firm, Transarabia, says hauliers will not be the biggest beneficiary from the rebuilding of Kuwait, Instead, he says, most goods will go by sea. "In the seventies there was lots of stuff going overland, but now the ports have got their act together," he warns.