All stakeholders determined to drive down costs

The latest round of

investment in the port

of Maputo has been

accompanied by soulsearching

to identify and reduce

costs throughout the logistics

value chain – from the mines

and orchards of Mpumalanga

to the harbour.

This includes costs that

the industry believed were

not negotiable – in particular

the charges for compulsory

scanning by Kudumba of all

cargo and the “Kilometre 4”

border post with South Africa.

“It is necessary to review

the costs of all those who

contribute to a heavy final

cost for customers: Kudumba,

Kilometre 4, single window

charges and port fees, amongst

other costs,” said Mozambican

transport and communications

minister Carlos Mesquita

at a ceremony to mark the

completion of the dredging of

the Maputo approach channel

to 14.4 metres.

This call is supported by the

Maputo Corridor Logistics

Initiative (MCLI). “It is

clear that the South African

government’s eye has been

taken off the trade facilitation

ball by the hype around the

misguided notion of a Border

Management Agency. The

government of Mozambique

must put political pressure

on South Africa to make the

24-hour operation a reality,”

MCLI chief executive officer

Barbara Mommen told FTW.

“The delays and added costs

of the cargo facility at KM4 will

also need to be addressed as a

matter of urgency.

“It is clear that the current

model is driven by rent-seeking

rather than efficiency,” she said.

Shipping and logistics

companies operating on the

route are also being urged to

help reduce costs.

“It is our expectation that

the different players in the

logistics chain – CFM (the state

rail operator), MPDC (Maputo

Port Development Company),

migration and customs

authorities, freight forwarders,

shipping lines and road hauliers

join synergies and share

information in order to make

the corridor more competitive

and efficient,” said Mesquita.

MPDC chief executive officer

Osório Lucas said “we are

working to increase our

competitiveness through a

wider and more complete

range of port services.

“An example of this is

a bunkering service we

started offering at the end

of last year in partnership

with Petromoc Bunkering.

“Vessels can now take on

bunkers and other supplies

in the port of Maputo

while cargo handling takes

place.”

One of the biggest

transfers to date has been

the provisioning of 1 200

tons of fuel to a bulk carrier

while she was loading. The

operation took eight hours.