Operating in Africa since the 1960s, the company first started serving the continent, when its Chinese customers wanted to ship goods and equipment from China to East Africa. More cargo volumes followed, when the Chinese started construction of the Tanzania-Zambia Railway.
 
Today, PIL ranks within the top 5 container lines for Africa, with reputable presence in all major regions on the African continent save for the Mediterranean region. It is also the only carrier from Asia serving Africa, with a significant shipping, agency set-up and logistics presence in Africa. The Singapore firm’s vessels operate over 10 unique African-bound liner services with presence in 35 African countries . The firm also operates a fleet of multi-purpose vessels to deliver regular break-bulk services between Asia and Africa.
 
PIL’s coastal networks in Africa serves its clients at over 40 ports in Africa from Cairo, Sokhna, Port Sudan & Djibouti; to Mombasa and Dar-es-Salaam in East Africa; down south to Durban and Cape Town, and up towards the Gulf of Guinea and key West African ports such as Tema, Lome, Onne, Lagos, Abidjan, Cotonou and Douala. Other than main liner operations to Africa, PIL also operates up to 6 regional feeders for intra-Africa trade, as well as Red Sea ports.
 
PIL indirectly supports Africa’s industrialisation by providing a unique channel for African exporters to reach consumers both within Africa, and to markets in the Middle East, South Asia, Southeast Asia, China and the Asia Pacific. On the importing side, it brings in critical equipment and industrial goods that enable Africa to develop its infrastructure and undertake value-adding industrial activities. In all, PIL is an unparalleled major carrier and enabler of the Asia-Africa trade corridor.
 
Complementing its maritime business, PIL has existing logistics operations in Egypt, Tanzania, and Sudan. In East Africa, PIL provides logistics services to boost intra-Africa connectivity between gateway ports -- Mozambique to Zambia/Malawi/Zimbabwe; Tanzania to Rwanda/Burundi; and Kenya to Uganda. Its range of logistics services in Africa include trucking, warehousing, cold-storing, and depots.