With the port of Maputo’s ambitious plans to handle 40 million tons of cargo by the end of 2020 – projections by the Maputo Port Development Company are that it will reach 20 million tons by 2014 – how big a threat is it to Durban’s status as a key import/export hub for southern Africa? Industry sources told FTW it had always been a potential threat – as is Walvis Bay to Cape Town on the west coast – and they believe the threat level has become far more real, particularly with the new infrastructure upgrade plans for 2014. These include dredging of the access channel to -14 metres (from the current -11 metres), which will allow access by larger vessels, quayside strengthening, warehouses and road upgrades. The port has also invested in upgrading the Grindrod Maputo Car Terminal, with major car manufacturers such as BMW and Nissan switching some of its import operations to the Mozambican port. “Infrastructure developments around access to the port of Maputo by neighbouring countries, and from Gauteng, now present a very real threat to the ports of Durban and Richards Bay,” said Paul Lawrence, chief operations officer for Ziegler South Africa. He noted that that should the costs of import and export via Maputo be equivalent to, or less than, either Durban or Richards Bay then business would “definitely” be reduced in Durban. “And with that, the opportunities for growth and business retention will be minimised,” said Lawrence. A logistics service provider who wished to remain anonymous questioned whether the relevant authorities at the KwaZulu Natal ports were taking this threat seriously. “Service delivery levels by Transnet Port Terminals (TPT) and Transnet National Ports Authority (TNPA) remain questionable at the best of times at Durban and Richards Bay ports,” he said. The Maputo port developments are certainly a threat said Miguel Vieira, Compu- Clearing’s customer relations representative in Durban, as logistically both Maputo and Durban are only six hours away from Johannesburg. “Key players in the industry are taking their cargo through Mozambique instead of Durban to save both costs and time,” he said, adding that Mozambique’s gross domestic product (GDP) growth had exceeded South Africa’s over the past four years. “If not enough is done to address the threat, then we could see Durban slip out of the top 50 busiest ports worldwide,” said Vieira. Easyclear GM Michael Henning however believes that the new projects to expand Durban’s port will go some way in addressing the issue of competition, “although there are groups resistant to change that indicate that the digout port is a long way from even getting off the ground." CAPTION The Grindrod Maputo Car Terminal... attracting major car manufaturers.
