About: Clementine James

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!

One of our blue chip Oil & Gas clients was a crucial contractor on the Crude Oil Pipeline project in Tanzania last year. We were required to assist with importing various amounts of equipment on a temporary basis. In Tanzania, it is almost impossible to obtain temporary import permission. Thanks to our expert in-house Clearance team, Alistair Group was able to assist with liaising with the Ministry of Energy, which resulted in successfully executing a temporary import permission. Alistair Group is a completely customer focused company who is dedicated to go above and beyond for our clients. We are proud of the fact that our Clearance team managed to save our client time and thousands of dollars in duties and taxes.

Thanks to our skilled and experienced team, we are able to guarantee our client the the most efficient Customs Clearance solution in the market.

Alistair Group, Making Africa Work Better!

We would like to offer our sincere sympathy to those affected in the attack in the village of Mbagala, Palma, where a total of 62 houses were burnt and destroyed. Alistair Group has donated funds to support the local community in need. The funds have been utilized to donate iron sheets to aid in the rebuilding of houses that were destroyed during the attack.

“Hello all call signs, this is Alistair Radio Control.”
Our control room staff and technical partners worked together to rise to the task of Journey Management and Radio Communications Control for the EACOP Midstream Geotechnical Survey.
We successfully planned and managed our resources to provide radio coverage for a 120km-radius. The next challenge was to maintain the radio coverage radius as we moved along the 1,200km stretch of proposed pipeline across Tanzania.
Further, we were able to create accurate and reliable automated alerts through Zone of Interest which proved to be extremely useful for providing instant client feedback and vehicle movement interrogation. This ultimately, enabled us to build a timeline of events independent of the radio call log sheet, providing critical continuity of information despite occasional radio and GSM coverage dead spots. The last factor that contributed to our successful and powerful journey management analysis tool is the fact that we were able to visually review any element of vehicle activity through the addition of fitted in-vehicle cameras.
We are extremely proud to have ensured the safety of our drivers, staff and clients through our innovative journey management processes. Alistair, Making Africa Work Better!

Providing social engagement services is an integral part of our provision of logistics support and local content provision to field operations.

In our recent field operations, our social engagement was about land-assessments which included speaking with land owners to gain their permission to value their land upon which a technical survey was conducted and afterwards, to ensure proper reconciliation and rehabilitation was appropriately managed. We involved multiple teams across hundreds of locations and made significant efforts to digitize the land-assessment processes to ensure data validity and accuracy across the process. This required digitizing the following; land-entry, initial assessment, post-valuation, payment acknowledgement and site clearance forms.

All completed social-engagement forms’ data were sent to a central database ensuring data entry accuracy at each step of the process. Critically, all forms were configured to allow the user to print the form offline without the need for an internet or data connection. Signed forms were printed and distributed in the field and the form-data would be uploaded to the cloud when the device regained an internet/data connection.

Thank you to our team for making this an efficient and successful project. Alistair Group, Making Africa Work Better!

1 Customer Service
It is important to find a logistics supplier that really puts its customers first and delivers high quality customer service. Ask for references from companies in similar industries and go for a company with a good reputation.
At Alistair Group, Customer Focus is one of our core values and we are committed to always providing our clients with valuable end-to-end solutions for their needs.

2 System Automation
We are living in the digital age and it is important to find a logistics supplier who can simplify and automate the logistics process by tracking and monitoring all operations and deliveries. By choosing a technologically driven company, you will be on top of what is happening to your cargo and will be guaranteed a great customer experience.
At Alistair Group, we strive to be a technologically leading logistics company and provide our clients with state of the art telematic tracking systems and customised client dashboards for easy tracking and complete visibility of all operations.

3 Supplier Capabilities
Ensure that you choose a logistics supplier that is competent in their service offerings and understand the supplier’s strengths and weaknesses. Identify your needs and look for a logistics supplier who is an expert in the field and will compliment and satisfy your needs. A supplier who provides end-to-end logistics solutions will be able to adapt to different situations and provide efficient services at lower costs.
Alistair Group is an expert when it comes to logistics solutions and provides our clients with an integrated logistics solution, including Multi-modal Transport, Material Handling & Equipment Rental, Clearing & Forwarding and Warehousing & Material Management.

4 Efficient Transport
When choosing your logistics supplier, ensure you are choosing an experienced transported with good track record of delivering cargo efficiently, timely and safely. Efficient transporters will offer you with the benefit of cost-effective service offerings and routes and ensure accurate delivery times for your cargo. Remember, if you choose to transport your cargo with the least expensive transporter, you are most probably sacrificing the efficiency, timeliness and quality of the service.
Alistair Group is the most experienced cross-border transporter in Eastern and Southern Africa and we provide our clients with specialty cargo services such as abnormal loads, hazardous cargo, rig moves and super long haul cargo services. We are proud of our reputation as a transporter who delivers cargo on time and in a safe and efficient manner.

5 Health & Safety Records
A company’s Health and Safety standards are a good indication whether a company is meeting trading regulations and standards or not. It is vital to choose a logistics supplier with a good health and safety record. Make sure that you choose an expert in the field that will control your logistics professionally.
At Alistair Group, we take the health and safety of our people, the environment and our stakeholders very seriously. We pride ourselves as a company who focus on education, accident prevention and compliance with our HSE Management System and are ISO 9001:2015, ISO 14001:2015 and OHSAS 18001:2007 certified.