Quality Maritime Provider Lda has established itself as a key player in the maritime and logistics industry. Can you tell us
about the founding vision of QMP and how the company has evolved over the years?
Maritime Provider – QMP started its operations in the year 2009. We started this company with a vision to provide high quality services to commercial ships operating in Angolan waters and to fill a gap in the local market of good service providers who are able to provide services at affordable prices. There were a few international players in the market, but their prices were very high, and local service providers lacked expertise. This created a gap and an opportunity to provide services to the commercial ship owners in Angolan market. Observing this gap we decided to start ship-chandelling and ship agency business in Angola to serve our clients.
Over the years we have continuously added to our range of service offerings, like providing supplies to offshore vessels in our own certified containers. This enables us to install temperature tracking devices and maintain the required conditions during transit to ensure that products are delivered in perfect condition. Recently, we have also invested in AI tools for our crewing department, where we use AI to improve job allocation and accountability – allowing us to provide high quality, timely services with zero waiting time for our clients, while also ensuring proper rest hours for staff. We also have a small fleet of boats and vessels including a recently purchased oil tanker, which is operating in the coastal waters of Angola supplying petroleum products to other
provinces from Luanda.
QMP offers a wide range of services, including supply chain support, procurement maintenance. What would you say sets QMP apart from other logistics and maritime providers in Angola?
QMP offers a wide range of services, which is one of our strengths as we are a one-stop-shop for all our clients’ requirements. There
are a few other factors which set us apart from other service providers in Angola and they are as below:
• Comprehensive Service offering
• Local Expertise
• Customer Centric approach
• Technology Integration
• Strong Partnership
• Continuous Improvement
• Commitment to quality service
These factors collectively position QMP as a leading logistics and maritime provider in Angola, appealing to businesses looking form reliable and effective solutions.
One of the core services QMP provides is supply chain support, including warehousing and logistics. How has QMP adapted its supply chain solutions to meet the unique broader African region?
In supply chain services, QMP uses its local knowledge and experience of the Angolan market to adapt to the unique broader African region’s requirements and meet its challenges. We provide:
1. Localized Solutions
2. Flexible Warehousing Options
3. Integrated Logistics
4. Leveraging Technology
5. Collaborative Partnerships
6. Focus on Sustainability
7. Training and Development
We have also invested heavily in creating infrastructure to support our operations, including our own loading jetty in the bay of Luanda, a fleet of vehicles that includes temperature controlled insulated body vehicles, supply boats to arrange supply at anchorage, forklifts, and cranes.
These adaptations and investments make QMP a dynamic partner for businesses, showing our commitment in navigating the complexities of supply chains in Angola and the broader African context.
Angola presents unique challenges, especially in logistics the key challenges QMP faces in this market, and how do you navigate them to turn challenges into opportunities?
Every market is unique and the local rules and regulations for every region are different. In Angola the challenges that QMP faces are to ensure adherence to rules and regulations for licensing for imports, clearance (Sea and airfreight), and handling of some specific items like communication equipment, petroleum products, pharmaceutical items, and high value shipments as per ARCLA requirements. We have made our operation manuals for logistics and clearing as per local rules and train our staff to work
within the framework of these rules.
We ensure that clients are informed about the procedures to be followed and that the necessary paperwork is ready in advance for
smooth clearance of cargo and reduced cargo storage costs at sea or at the airport. We also keep our clients informed about every stage of in the cargo clearance process, with daily updates to them. This systematic and planned way of working helps us turn the challenges we face into opportunities to differentiate ourselves and provide a consistently high standard of service. We have seen the results with our satisfied clients and operations that are compliant with local rules and regulations.