Maputo Port set to double capacity

Maputo (New Ziana) – Mozambique’s Maputo Port is to double in size over the next few years following the decision of the government to give an additional 138 hectares to the Maputo Port Development Company (MPDC) in response to the growth in demand for cargo handling services both nationally and regionally.

As a result, the size of the concession granted to MPDC will grow from 140 to 278 hectares.
Speaking on Tuesday in Maputo, at the end of the weekly meeting of the Council of Ministers, the government spokesperson, Deputy Justice Minister Filimao Suaze, explained that the development of the port will allow for both an increase in the Port’s capacity and an improvement in its regional competitiveness.

Despite the negative impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, last year the Port of Maputo set a new record, handling 22.2 million tonnes of cargo. The previous record had been set in 2019 (before the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic) when it handled 21 million tonnes.

In January, MPDC explained that this record “is a reflex of the post-Covid recovery of the market, but also the efficient use of quays 7, 8 and 9, alongside the expansion of the iron terminal and a dedicated rail line”. In addition, the Port has increased its capacity through dredging and through purchasing new cranes, carriages, wagons, and locomotives.

MPDC is a private led consortium that holds the lease on the port until 2033, with an option to extend the lease for a further ten years. The partners in the consortium are DP World of Dubai, Grindrod of South Africa, the Mozambican private company Moçambique Gestores, and the publicly-owned port and rail company, CFM.

AIM-New Ziana