A year after the port recovered in record time after devastating floods, Beira has once again proved its resilience in the face of disaster by maintaining operations from the start of the Covid-19 pandemic.“There has been a big shift of cargo through Beira since Covid-19 while many other African ports slowed down or shut completely. Beira port continued to operate, just under stricter control,” says Kevin Hutton, general manager of Beira Logistics Terminals (BLT).The company is adapting its operations to cater for the growing volumes. “We have done a lot of work on evaluating our cargo volumes and seeing how best we can accommodate customers with additional tonnage using the same square meterage. “Space utilisation and machinery efficiency have been my key drivers in the business since I started in February 2020,” he told Freight News.And BLT is continuing to invest in Beira.“We are in the process of developing some new warehousing, and the concept will be to ensure we maximise the volumes per square metre without compromising staff safety and the quality of the products we offer to customers.”There are already benefits, he adds. “Additional equipment has been bought into the business, giving us 50% more capacity on bagging operations“This means we are able to reduce the time a customer’s cargo stays in Beira,” he says.
INSERT: "There has been a big shift of cargo through Beira since Covid-19 while many other African ports slowed down or shut completely." – Kevin Hutton“
