Mauritius: a strategic transit hub for connectivity

Mauritius, an island 2,400 km off the coast of South-East Africa, is one of the most inviting and successful economies in the African region and over the years, it has established itself as one of the key platforms for investment and doing business. In fact, Mauritius emerged as the easiest place to do business in Africa, according to the 2020 Doing Business report released by the World Bank. Of the 190 countries ranked in the annual ranking, Mauritius stood 13th overall.

Thanks to its strategic location in the southwest part of the Indian Ocean, Mauritius is evolving as a competitive logistics and distribution centre for international trade. It has grown into a thriving business platform and is home to many global operators. The island lies about 885 km east of Madagascar and 3,900 km southwest of India.

Multiple business opportunities

Mauritius has successfully transformed itself into a robust, diversified, innovative and knowledge-driven economy from a single-crop economy that was highly dependent on the cultivation of sugarcane. This has been achieved with the support of the government, which has since the 1980s, fostered a business environment that has helped strengthen the island’s position as a leading investment destination. As a result, the economy of Mauritius is based on exports, financial services, and tourism, in addition to agriculture.

What’s more, the region’s stable political system, liberal financial sector and low taxes which encourage business formation have made it an ideal environment for investors who prefer a business-friendly and less risky investment environment.

‘Blue Economy’

The island nation also fosters a thriving ‘blue economy’, represented by traditional ocean activities such as coastal tourism, fishing, seafood processing and seaport activities. The land mass is surrounded by a resource-rich maritime zone of 2.3 million sq. km. Combined with a modern seaport with logistics facilities, an enabling regulatory framework and a highly attractive fiscal regime, Mauritius has become a prime investment destination for the seafood sector, which presents high-growth opportunities.

One of the key growth drivers for the region is the Mauritius Freeport that provides a modern integrated marketing, distribution and logistics platform for intra and extra regional trade. It enables a host of activities including processing of seafood products for leading global markets in the EU, the USA and Far East.

This seafood industry involves value-added fisheries and activities such as fishing, fish transhipment, storage and warehousing, light processing including sorting, grading, cleaning, filleting and canning.

Mauritius ranks among the topmost African Caribbean Pacific (ACP) exporters of canned tuna to the European Union (EU) and is the third external supplier in terms of overall volume of tuna loins to the EU market. Certification of fish and fish products for export primarily to Member States of the European Union (EU) is available locally.

The ECU Worldwide advantage

From its base in Port Louis, ECU Worldwide Mauritius offers a comprehensive logistics platform catering to all its customers’ needs. Established in the year 2000, it is a fully licensed ocean/air consolidation company, with an in-house Licensed Customs House Broker.

ECU Worldwide Mauritius can efficiently connect customers to Mauritius for LCL and FCL as well as mainland Africa and Asia through inland connectivity. It offers customers complete freight transportation solutions tailored to their needs while respecting their specifications. These services include removal, delivery from door to air/seaport, from air/sea port to air/sea port, from air/sea port to door and also from door to door.

“As the world’s leading NVOCC player, ECU Worldwide enjoys a high level of preference among both importers and exporters who are looking for a reliable global partner with solid regional experience. When you work with ECU Worldwide, you tap into the combined strength and experience of our more than 300 global offices in over 160 countries and services across more than 2,400 direct trade lanes,” says Hawanty Teeluck, Country Manager, ECU Worldwide Mauritius.

What further solidifies ECU Worldwide Mauritius’ standing is its proven track record. It has secured regular monthly EX-Works FCL imports for both 40 ft. and 20 ft. from USA. It has secured textile import shipments for both LCL and FCL and also has a confirmed project cargo for Larsen & Toubro in the pipeline. In addition, it has export nominations to worldwide destinations via Singapore on more regular terms.

Transformed convenience with ECU 360

What’s more, ECU 360, the company’s state-of-the-art online platform helps customers get quick quotations, door-to-door rates for more than 40 countries, book online and transact independently without needing to call or email.

The tool breaks away from precious time and energy-consuming processes and provides services such as real-time tracking information and access to historical data that enables better and faster decision-making.

Finally, in a growing market for container logistics, ECU Worldwide Mauritius stands out with its sophisticated and value-added services. As Mauritius emerges as a natural business hub for international trade owing to its perfect location, favourable political and social climate combined with its continuously developing infrastructure system, ECU Worldwide Mauritius is perfectly positioned to help businesses exceed their potential.