PARTNER CONTENT
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Breadbox also runs a regional office in Dakar to coordinate port calls, oversee cargo handling, and support customers. The office works closely with Istamco, Dakar, especially on reefer trade.“ Our close partnership with Istamco in Dakar is especially important for our reefer trade, a reefer liner service that Breadbox has operated for 25 years,” Joris adds.“ Istamco plays a vital role in ensuring quay space allocation, discharge operations, and smooth delivery to local markets.”
Breadbox sees the partnership as essential for maintaining the efficiency and reliability of its service between Europe and Africa. The service runs year-round, but demand from West African markets peaks during the Dutch onion export season. Every ten days during this important time, the company offers a sailing with reefer vessels from the port of Flushing, also known as Vlissingen, to West Africa.
The company also focuses on investment in automation and integration of ICT systems to improve workflows, transparency, and decision-making. It applies artificial intelligence to support its chartering and operations teams. AI assists with charter party terms, automates handovers from chartering to operations, and powers a Risk Analyzer tool for voyage estimations and budgeting.
The Risk Analyzer draws on port data, weather information, and bunkering options to inform risk assessment and planning. The tool combines human expertise with datadriven insights to support decisions that impact voyage profitability and safety.
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