/en/newsroom/news/2023/november/from-soil-to-silk-the-journey-of-west-african-cotton-with-msc
From Soil to Silk: The Journey of West African Cotton with MSC
27/11/2023
Among the goods that MSC carries around the world, there are very few that we see as regularly as cotton. It’s all around us in our daily lives – and not just in our clothes. Cotton linters can be used to manufacture plastics, or computer chip boards, or TV screens, cotton seeds can be crushed and used in bath products or for animal feed. Cotton can travel thousands of miles to reach its destination – and we’re happy to work with our customers to ensure that it gets there safely and in good condition.
In the West African countries of Benin, the Ivory Coast, and Mali, the expert MSC team works diligently with our customers to export their cotton to garment and textile producers across the world. Ensuring reliable connections to key partners in countries such as Bangladesh, China, Pakistan, Türkiye, and Vietnam is instrumental for producers.
Our recent recognition by at the Asian Freight, Logistics and Supply Chain (AFLAS) Awards of “Best Shipping Line – Asia – Africa” indicates the reliability, quality, and standards we aim to uphold. Our Africa Express and Ingwe services work to seamlessly connect the two continents, and our Türkiye, West Med and WAF connection was recently enhanced.
As a market leader with direct expertise with this type of cargo, MSC’s teams offer:
- Dedicated teams with local knowledge and expertise
- Tailored logistics solutions based on customer needs
- Regular trade services with reliable transit times
- 24/7 container availability
- Our own terminals in essential locations
- San Pedro (TSP - Terminal San Pedro), Ivory Coast
- Lomé (Lomé Container Terminal), Togo
- Key services such as intermodal transport, or digital solutions such as eBLs
Transporting sensitive cargo such as cotton is a task that requires in-depth knowledge, care, attention to detail, and the proper equipment and coordination. We work to provide holistic, intermodal solutions to ensure that our customers’ goods arrive at their destination in the best condition possible. Alongside that – our digital tools for customer access make the process as easy as possible for them to manage and view all the relevant information.
To discover all our cotton-transport solutions, we invite you to visit our dedicated Cotton page, or get into contact with a local MSC expert.