Significant increases in cargo through the Port of Beira are driving public-private partnerships (PPP) to extend capacity and improve the speed of throughput which for the most part is focused on one key objective – bulk freight.According to Jan de Vries of Cornelder de Moçambique, the concession company responsible for running the port, escalating quantities of copper, chrome, sulphur and fertilizer are driving substantial infrastructural and asset improvements currently under way.Addressing representatives from the logistics industry in Johannesburg recently, De Vries said the demand for copper carried through Beira alone was pushing volumes steadily higher.“We are gaining market share fast, mainly from Zambia and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), with outf lows from these countries increasing by 40% and 700% respectively.”Handling elevated quantities of bulk freight, De Vries emphasised, came on the back of having fought hard for several years to share in bulk ore mined in A f r ica’s copper belt on the border of Zambia and the DRC.But it was through successes achieved in the f ield of tobacco exports that a foundation was formed so the port could position itself to push volume across the board.According to De Vries, whereas the corridor from the leaf markets of Zimbabwe and surrounding countries to Beira previously carried very little or no tobacco, the port now dominates with around 230 000 metric tonnes of the crop.It entailed, among other progressive steps taken to secure continued outf lows, addressing infestation issues through stakeholder involvement that thankfully resulted in tobacco-loving beetles getting smoked.
INSERT: With regard to tobacco, the port now dominates with around 230 000 metric tonnes of the crop.– Jan de Vries
