Category Archives: News

As a transporter, we need to understand the conditions of the road and the challenges our drivers face in order to properly assess risks and to ensure successful journey management.

This month our team successfully completed a route survey, covering over 10,000km, to ensure that our route risk assessments are up to date. Now that our teams are updated and aware of the conditions of the routes, we have established increased situational awareness throughout the company and a better understanding of the challenges we face.

In conjunction with this route survey, we also introduced and implemented our “Road Patrol Checks”. These checks are primarily focused on spot-checking drivers’ professional conduct on the route and include cargo security, vehicle condition, personal protection equipment, and fitness to drive checks.  The magic is that the Road Patrol Check sheets are carried out on an online system, meaning that the observation is mailed to our Driver Control team immediately.

Our drivers are graded on their performance and we anticipate that this new initiative will drive up our professional standards even further amongst the people who matter most – our drivers at the sharp end. We are dedicated to delivering cargo safely and efficiently and are excited about becoming even more proficient.

Alistair Group has been providing logistics services to the Oil & Gas sector in South and East Africa since inception in 2008. We have grown to become the logistics provider of choice for many blue-chip companies in the region. We provide an integrated logistics service and are conversant and compliant with the standards and methodologies required by the oil and gas industry.

This month, we kicked off the 2019 Pemba drilling campaign by delivering all required material handling equipment to one of our blue-chip clients to be loaded on the offshore drilling vessel. The equipment includes our 120ton rough terrain crane, 80ton rough terrain crane, 165ton crawler crane and our 18ton telehandler with pipe handler attachment. We are proud to supply only the best quality and certified equipment to ensure that the project is completed safely and efficiently.

Thanks to our client for selecting us as their preferred equipment supplier, we look forward to a successful offshore drilling campaign.

1. All Our Equipment is Certified To International Standards
In addition to our in house maintenance and equipment pre-use inspection routines, all our machinery is inspected by third parties and certified to international standards. We ensure that certification is renewed every 6 – 12 months, which allows us to ensure that our equipment is safe for use and in turn our clients’ operations are up to standard. We ensure that all tools, appliances, machines, vehicles or other equipment, are in a safe working condition at all times and comply with internationally adopted best practices such as LOLER and local legislation and regulations. All our equipment is only used by authorised and competent persons trained in the use of such equipment.

2. We Employ Highly Skilled Equipment Operators
All operators of Alistair Group’s rental equipment have years of experience working in relevant industries on similar machines. Our operators undergo constant training courses to ensure their certificates and competency is always up to date and standard. As a Company, Alistair Group believes that learning never ends and strive to constantly build capacity and progress the standards of our equipment rental operators and riggers.

3. We Only Use The Best Quality Material Handling Equipment
We only use the best quality and industry-leading equipment and are constantly adding to our rental fleet and we are willing to invest in specialist machinery as per interest from our clients. Some of the brands in our fleet include Grove, Liebherr, Manitowoc, Manitou, Heli, Hyster, Utilev, Mitsubishi, and TCM. We are proud to boast the youngest and most specialised, state-of-the-art fleet in the region, often fitted with specialized attachment to carry out work as safely and efficiently as possible.

4. We Follow a Strict Preventative Maintenance Procedure
In order to service our fleet of rental equipment, Alistair Group operates full workshop and maintenance facilities in Dar es Salaam, Mtwara, Palma, Pemba and other field sites near every rental equipment operation. We have developed a Preventative Maintenance Schedule for each piece of equipment designed to improve upon factory recommendations. Access to the maintenance records for each machine will always be available for the Client’s inspection through our state of the art maintenance software.

5. We Minimize Delays Caused By Breakdowns 
Two years’ worth of critical spare parts are kept on-site for each machine, limiting the delay caused by any breakdown of rental equipment. Our technicians are trained at manufacturer facilities and have access to all the diagnostic software and proprietary knowledge required to identify and immediately resolve breakdowns at our workshops or in the field. Our technicians travel around the region as necessary and will always be available in less than 24 hours on-site to diagnose and repair any issues.

For any operation to be carried out safely and efficiently, it must be planned properly. This is particularly true for lifting operations whereby it is not only good practice but also a statutory requirement. We have expanded our material handling service line and now offer a full range of lift planning services to the oil and gas, construction and alternative-energy sectors. Whether you require a full-scale construction job and critical lifts or a range of specific lifts, Alistair Group can plan and execute the project successfully.

We offer full rigging and logistics studies at the planning stage of projects and provide full method statements, drawings and schematics. This enables us to choose the correct selection of cranes, the safest method of operation and provide our clients with the overall piece of mind that the job will be executed safely and efficiently.

At Alistair Group, we are experts in material handling and are dedicated to providing clients with a safe and efficient service.

In Tanzania, we continue to service the Tanzanian Government railway project by assisting our client to manufacture and erect concrete beams for the railway bridges and overpasses. Our LR1250 250-ton crawler crane has been working tirelessly for the past 6 months and just returned after successfully completing yet another government project at the Kinyerezi 2 power plant. The crane was involved in all critical lifts for the project, some up to 90 tons.

Our crawler crane is currently lifting loads of up to 60 tons and is also erecting the beams via critical pick and carry operations. Thanks to our skilled and professional personnel, all lifts are completed safely and efficiently.

We are grateful to our client for selecting us as their preferred material handling supplier and look forward to working together again in the future.

At Alistair Group, we have been transporting emulsion for mining clients since 2016. We have gained extensive experience in transporting emulsion ever since and have grown to become one of the most trusted logistics services suppliers for the mining industry.

We transport emulsion on a monthly basis for industry-leading explosive suppliers in the mining industry on various routes between South Africa and Zambia and have all the necessary licences and permissions in place for the successful transportation of emulsion. We are proud to employ a team that always goes the extra mile to ensure that all cargo is transported in a safe and timely manner.

We are pleased to have a new blue-chip mining client onboard for transporting emulsion. We successfully completed the first emulsion loads from Chambishi, Zambia to Lubumbashi in the DRC. As a result of our customer focused and skilled team, we were able to guarantee our client a professional and efficient service.

Thank you to our client for choosing us as your preferred cross-border transporter and we look forward to many more successful routes and a long-term business relationship.

Alistair Group, Making Africa Work Better!

Whether it is general cargo or hazardous cargo, you can count on us to make the move!

This month, we have had yet another successful Cyanide transportation for one of our key clients. Our client requires us to transport sodium cyanide from Dar es Salaam, Tanzania to Namoya, DRC in order to support their operations. Our expert teams obtained all the necessary permits required for transporting Cyanide to ensure that the transportation runs smoothly and to ensure that there were no unnecessary delays at the borders.

At Alistair Group, we take the safety of our people, stakeholders and the environment very seriously.  Our operations are certified by the International Cyanide Management Institute as fully compliant with the International Cyanide Management Code. Our teams undergo training on a regular basis and follow very strict policies and procedures to ensure that Cyanide is transported and handled in precisely and in a safe manner.

We are proud to be our client’s preferred hazardous cargo transporter and are excited to move many more successful loads!

Did You Know?

There are 21 steps to clear a transit shipment via the Dar es Salaam port. Alistair Group makes this Customs Clearance process easy for clients by providing efficient, end-to-end import and export solutions.  

At Alistair Group we are committed to providing our clients with an integrated logistics solution to make their businesses Work Better! We are proud to provide a simplified, timely and cost-effective Customs Clearance solution to our clients. Our in-house teams facilitate clients with all Customs and Freight Forwarding related processes, from the preparation of documents, required permits, communications with government authorities to transportation and shipping. Our team follows a strict Standard Operating Procedure, to ensure that we provide a compliant, consistent and reliable Customs Clearance solution.

Alistair Group is an expert at the following 21 steps to clear transit shipments via the Dar es Salaam port:

1.      The first step in our clearing process is when we receive pre-alerts and documents from our clients to initiate Customs Clearance or to request that transit shipments / cargo should be cleared.
2.      Documents obtained are checked by our Declarations Officers for shortcomings and to see whether everything is in order and if additional permits and documents are required and communicated to the client.
3.      Depending on the cargo, the relevant Permits and Certificates required are applied for and obtained.
4.      As soon as all required documentation are obtained, entries are submitted on TANCIS (Tanzania Custom Integrated System) to the declaring authorities.
5.      The vessel with the shipment / cargo arrives.
6.      A final assessment from the port authorities is now issued to inform whether the shipment has been accepted or declined.
7.      The container deposit is now sorted out and secured with the shipping line.
8.      After the container deposit is settled, a Delivery Order is obtained from the shipping line to release the cargo once all payments due have been settled by the consignee.
9.      The shipments are now scheduled to be discharged from the vessel to the port and communicated to the client.
10.    Cargo is carried in on TANCIS and confirmation is received by the port authorities informing us that all cargo is discharged on the port and we may continue with the Customs Clearance process.
11.    The Manifest is now compared on TANCIS by the Declaration Officer to ensure and confirm that the entries submitted and the Manifest are the same.
12.    The Wharfage invoice is obtained.
13.    The Wharfage invoice is settled.
14.    The Tansad document, invoices, packing list, BL copy and permits are presented to Customs to lodge and obtain the Customs Release.
15.    The trucks and all applicable driver details are confirmed and declared on TANCIS.
16.    T1’s and Movement Sheets are now generated on TANCIS.
17.    The Customs Release and Delivery Order are submitted online to the port authorities to obtain the port charges invoice.
18.    The port charges invoice is issued electronically and settled.
19.    The C28, T1, Movement Sheets, Driver’s License, Passport and Registration Cards are submitted to Port Authorities to obtain loading permits.
20.    Loading permits are obtained.
21.    The trucks are now called in for loading of the shipment at the port.
22.    Tracking units installed by port authorities on the shipments to ensure that the transit cargo moves through the required checkpoints as per the Movement Sheets to ensure that the shipment leaves the country.
23.    Trucks are now dispatched to transport the shipment to the final destinations.

Alistair Group is dedicated to making Customs Clearance easy for our clients by combining our clearance, warehousing, material handling and transport services.

This month, we managed to make yet another business work better by providing an integrated Freight Forwarding solution to one of our Mining clients. Our client has been running hundreds of shipments to their location in Zambia via the Dar es Salaam corridor and desired a solution that would guarantee efficiency in offloading cargo at the final mining destination. Therefore, all their cargo needed to be de-stuffed from containers at the Dar es Salaam port, before being loaded as break bulk cargo onto our trucks.

This is just another case where we went above and beyond of what other clearing agents would do for our clients, lobbying extensively as de-stuffing is traditionally not allowed by Tanzanian Customs.

Our Clearance team successfully liaised with the authorities and were able to get a blanket permission in place for all our client’s shipments. We successfully and efficiently offloaded the cargo at the client’s premises and managed to save our client unnecessary costs.

Thank you to our client for appointing us as their preferred Freight Forwarder and to our team for proving our client with a timely solution and making their business Work Better!