Beira has all the right
ingredients in place to
continue as the preferred
gateway for Zambia, Zimbabwe,
Malawi, the Democratic
Republic of Congo, and central
Mozambique, says Rod Goncalves,
operations director of CWTAquarius
Shipping International.
With CWT-Aquarius having had
a presence in Beira for the past
eight years, Goncalves is full of
praise for the port authorities and
transporters who are continuously
breathing new life into the port.
The dredging of the port in 2011
has supported further expansion
and investment.
CWT-Aquarius has seen volumes
grow thanks to its presence in
Beira.
“But, it is not only about us. It
is all the ingredients. Cornelder,
the port operator under managing
director Carlos Mesquita and
marketing manager Felix Machado,
are incredibly experienced and
professional. They are focused
on developing and increasing the
volumes through the port of Beira.
“But it is not just a one-sided
investment by any single party.
The transport providers are just
as important. They have invested
millions in trucks and facilities
to increase the flexibility and
efficiency of the Beira corridor.”
Due to the efficiencies of the
corridor, CWT-Aquarius has
secured various contracts with
some of the biggest mineral
exporters, he said.
The company also shares new
tobacco warehousing space in the
port with Cornelder and UTi. This
will give it a total of around 10 000
sqm of warehouse space in the port.
Such is the growth in business
and volumes that CWT-Aquarius is
also in the process of establishing
additional facilities outside of the
port to handle various commodities
and other services.
Efficiencies and success are
achieved in Beira by starting with a
“belief in the port of Beira and the
people”.
Shipping lines, freight forwarders
and other companies using the port
should be prepared to “get their
hands dirty” and help find solutions
to the challenges rather than
criticising it and diverting cargo
elsewhere.
“When issues do occur in the
port, all parties should work
together to solve them.
“CWT-Aquarius is in Beira to
help the port grow. The service
providers have shown that they are
willing to commit investment on
their side if the volumes are there,”
he says.
Shipping lines, which are part
of the growth, will be better
positioned into the future to serve
their customers through the port,
he adds.
CAPTION
The city of Beira at night … the economy is lighting up thanks to investments by both
the private and public sector.
