Beira gearing up for 500 000 TEUs

Mozambique’s busiest container port is gearing up to handle 500000 TEU a year “within the next five years,” says Felix Machado, marketing and sales manager for the port of Beira. In 2013 the port is projecting volumes of 200000 TEU thanks to the addition of two new post- Panamax gantries that have seen productivity climb from 12 moves an hour to 24 moves per ship hour, he says. Productivity is increasing steadily as the operators become more proficient on the new ship to shore gantries, he adds. The container terminal storage capacity has been nearly doubled from 6400 to 11200 slots, including 144 reefer points and a dedicated International Maritime Dangerous Goods (IMDG) storage area. Work is also due to start on a new 600-metre-long dock that will be used for both containers and general cargo. Carlos Mesquita, the chief executive officer of the port’s management company, Cornelder de Moçambique, has announced that the contractor has been identified and that work should be completed by the end of 2014. The terminal will have a draft of 13 metres, according to Machado. Dredging has taken the existing quay down to 12 metres at high tide. The movement of containers through the terminal is being sped up by the opening of another gate, which will create separate entrance and exit points. Machado says Cornelder is also working on speeding up the movement of bulk cargo. Dedicated terminals are on the drawing board for sugar, fertilizer, minerals, coal, vehicles, sulphur, wood chips and biofuel. “We also want to double our copper exports,” he says. Cornelder’s approach is to “provide the right conditions” for the growth of cargo by responding to the needs of the industry. Free container storage is offered for 17 days before the arrival of vessels on exports, and 12 days after offloading on imported goods. “This gives cargo owners adequate time to clear their goods – providing their paperwork is in order. They should not have to pay demurrage if their clearing agents are doing their job,” he says. According to Machado, the demurrage fees have been increased in order to ensure that containers are moved quickly. “The port focuses on throughput, not storage”. It is also using fees to help shipping companies balance the import and export volumes. Rates for handling fertilizer imports have, for example, been increased, while those for tobacco exports have been reduced. “We are also offering attractive rates for mineral and agricultural exports from Zimbabwe and the Copperbelt.” At the same time, the port has increased the rates for timber in order to reduce pressure on the remaining forests, he says. Upgrades to Beira Grain Terminal The Beira Grain Terminal (BGT) is being upgraded in two phases. Phase 1, which includes the building of six silos with a storage capacity of 30000 tons of grain, wheat and maize, has been completed. Another 30000 tons of storage capacity in six more silos will be added when there is sufficient demand, according to Machado. He says the investment in the grain terminal will lower the cost of grain imported and exported from the region through the use of bulk handling and storage. Bulk terminals for fertilizer (30000 ton storage capacity) and a sugar terminal are “in varying stages of negotiation with the landlord of the port CFM and potential partners,” according to port operators Cornelder de Moçambique. Cornelder celebrates 15 years at the helm of Beira Port Operations in the port of Beira have been managed as a private joint venture between Moçambique Ports and Railways (CFM) and Rotterdam-based Cornelder Holdings since October 1998.The Cornelder de Moçambique (CdM) public private partnership has operated the Container and General Cargo Terminals in the Port of Beira since October 1998. Secure port Recent upgrades have positioned the Port of Beira as one of the region’s leading ports in safety and security. The terminals are fully secured with electric fencing, with CCTV security camera surveillance of all key points. Entrance of personnel, visitors and cargo is managed by a private security company. There is a dedicated gate for each terminal. CdM is compliant with the ISPS code. CAPTION Port of Beira