President's message:I am priviledged and honoured to be the President of the APT ( Association Professionelles des Transitaires de L`ile Maurice ) for year 2011/2012 and mainly at a time when APT will celebrate its 35th Anniversary this year. For the past 35 years , APT has been an active partner to the manufacturing and trading sector by providing freight & logistics solutions of high standards , supporting emerging new markets like Seafood hub and re-chanelling its activities to meet the requirements of new economic orientations alongwith safeguarding the interests of its members in a smart manner. The past two years have been difficult to the freight industry due to the shocks of the recent financial and Euro zone crisises which had an adverse impact of about 14 % on our export volume to European countries and USA .Besides , limited export markets , fluctuations in main trading currencies , low domestic consumption , upward trend in prices of raw materials and food items on world markets , piracy threats in the Indian ocean & ecological changes have had a direct incidence on both inbound and outbound freight volume. While freight demand for export sector is taking quite a positive trend this year , import demand is unfortunately still below expected level and with not a so good prognosis. After 35 years of existence, APT has evolved into a mature and solid association which despite resolving day to day operational problems and hurdles with stakeholders in the freight & logistics industry is now more than ever prepared to discuss with governmental & logistics oriented authorities as to the development of a global vision for the freight and logistics sector , enhancing Trade Facilitation and creating new trade opportunities through an aggressive marketing of our sea port and airport and promoting Mauritius as a logistics hub in our region and among eastern and southern African countries. I believe it is hightime for the freight industry to enhance e - Freight solutions and empower human resources in advance technological & logistics solutions , thus, creating a ` Mauritian Freight & Logistics Model ` which could be exported to African and neighbouring countries. Freight forwarding firms should maintain the momentum in pursuit for excellence in the domain so that our role as `` Architect of Transport ``, in not a too distant future, be enhanced to `` Artist of Transport `` in supply chain. Amil Emamdin President |