AFRICA
Mr. Pulk
has been active – traveling and working in over 40 African countries and
regional markets since the early 1970s.
He still enjoys travel in the region for personal interests as well as
exploration of new opportunities.
These are a few of the “highlights” of 30 years involvement in the
region…
- 1972-onward through 1981 - supported development of
Circle Freight’s new venture and adventures in the Republic of South Africa,
later expanding those relationships and interests in neighboring countries,
(i.e., Southwest Africa-nka: Namibia, Lesotho, Swaziland, and Botswana). In 1980, promotion to COO-International of
Circle with P&L direction and responsibilities inclusive of European and
African operations – approximately 20 offices, and 500 employees.
- Circle’s African interests were generally focused in
the southern Africa region (8 countries with similar socio-economic interests /
SADC), with commercial air and sea applications acting as a freight forwarder
providing movement of consumer goods, parts and accessories for manufacturing
plants – with imports from NOAM, EUR, and Asia – including support to the
assembly plants in the automotive sector (Pretoria, East London, and Port
Elizabeth), mining and service companies, etc.
The Company was HQ in Johannesburg, grew to 6 offices in the R.S.
Africa, and +150 staff, with excellent management and resultant profits, while
also providing services to regional markets in southern Africa, and more far
afield to Madagascar, Seychelles, Comores, and Mauritius from the South
Africa-base of operations.
- Mid-70s – participation in both Angola and Mozambique
prior to, and concurrent with independence, followed by civil wars – included
initial phases of development of various oil and gas E&P ventures, mining,
infrastructure, supporting E&Cs, and natural resources applications for
logistics requirements in the region.
Supported new mining activities – Palabora, Rossing, etc., dam
construction on the Vaal River, initial phases of SASOL (synthetic fuels and
power applications) for South Africa, upgrade of locomotives – OEM and P&A
support for South African Railways – and their relevant logistics requirements.
- During the 70s and early 80s, actively traveled and
worked in the southern Africa region – including Zambia, Rhodesia (nka:
Zimbabwe), the southern Congo province of Shaba, and Malawi for support of
logistics requirements and commercial interests of the multi-national mining
and agricultural companies located in those countries, (eg. Blackwood Hodge,
Wabco, Marion Power Shovel, Caterpillar, Harnischfeger, Sauer, PSA, Rio Tinto
Zinc/RTZ, GE-UTAH/nka: BHP-Mining, Rand-Consolidated Mines, Anglo-American,
etc.).
- During the 1970s and on into the mid-80s, worked with
the various agencies of the U.S. Dept of State, USAID, the U.S. Dept of Defense
– Foreign Military Sales, and other NGO sponsored activities to support
logistics requirements in multiple countries located in the North, West, East,
and certain Central Africa regions – in sometimes extremely remote and hostile
areas which presented significant personal and commercial challenges. Activities included full vessel and barge
charters, air charters (B707F and DC-8F) though-out the region, as well as
multi-modal transport – inclusive of necessary donkey and horse pack trains!
- Sought and provided ground floor analysis and impetus
for new (then unheard and unthought of…) programs to support mining interests
and movement of high value mineral resources, (eg., weekly B707F charters of
cobalt from Congo to Belgium, platinum and rhodium from Rep. of South Africa to
Europe and USA, etc.).
- Late
70s and onward through later 80s, supported various interests of Intertrans and
its clients in southern Africa (see insert and photos) – highlight
inclusive of development from inception onward for logistics support
requirements for the Highlands Water Project – the largest
infrastructure E&C in Africa to date, and still ongoing - expecting
completion in 2015.
- Mid-to-late 80s, travel and “exploration” in East
Africa – ultimately providing basis for set-up of operations in Lesotho and
Botswana to support local southern Africa interests.
- In the
1980s – traveled extensively in Northeast Africa, in support of various
logistics initiatives in Egypt, Sudan, Ethiopia, etc. – including AID air
charter uplifts, etc. which later extended due to drought and civil strife to
parts of East Africa – Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda as required to provide food,
medicines, and other materials.
- Provided air cargo charter logistics support – requiring
“on site command and control” for sensitive materials originating in USA, CDA,
and UK and destined to the southern regions of Africa – providing B707F, DC8F,
and L-100-Hercules uplift, movement, and delivery to the region; inclusive of
logistics support to the SADF, BDF, and regional governmental requirements as
sponsored by the U.S. Dept of State, U.S. Dept of Defense, and other agencies.
- Involved in planning and execution of “expedition”
logistics requirements for U.S. based National Geographic, and later
assisted and provided logistics support for privately funded expeditions
involving materials movements via air, sea, and road transport from Scotland,
Chile, USA, UK, and Brasil to remote sites required for the “Last Expedition of
Dr. Livingston” – in Kenya, Tanzania, and Zambia, subject of travel, magazine,
and PBS TV-broadcast film records.
- Involved in various regional logistics requirements
in the early-90s, inclusive of B747F charters for Turkish-based E&Cs firms
active in the F.S.U. (i.e.; Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, etc.) with materials
originating in the Republic of South Africa.
- Involved in various regional logistics requirements
in the late-80s and early-90s to support natural resource developments in
southern African regions – including Swaziland for SAPPI. Included E&C support in their
development of saw mills, farms, and infrastructure – materials originating in
Europe, and required air and sea/multi-modal transport in virgin territories.
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The Lesotho Highlands Water Project was launched in 1986. It
is a massive, multi-dam scheme to divert water from Lesotho’s Maluti Mountains
to South Africa’s industry and populace in Gauteng province, in the regions of
Johannesburg and Pretoria.
The project is not expected to be
complete until 2015, and final costs approaching US$10BB have been
committed. Power and water started
flowing through the system with the completion and filling of the largest dam
(KATSE – shown in photo collage) in the mid-90s.
Mr. Pulk was active in the project from inception,
through the early talking phases in the late-70s, through the planning phases
in the early 1980s, and onward to support the logistics requirements during
E&C construction in Phase I(a) in the mid-to-late ‘80s, while maintaining
cordial and necessary business relationships with the governments of the Rep.
of South Africa, Kingdom of Lesotho, and
cooperative interest of the United Nations sponsorship.
Subsequently
he promoted and launched a profitable twice weekly DC-8F aircraft (cargo)
service from USA to the area during
apartheid times to support the materials supply chain for the project and other
commercial initiatives sponsored by the U.S. Dept of State and the regional
governments.
Photos :In 1987, Mr. Pulk opened a
subsidiary company of Intertrans, subsequently growing to 50+ employees, while
managing certain of Lesotho’s Maseru airport operations, and utilizing that
country’s B-707 aircraft for regional operations.
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