Home
FacebookTwitterSearchMenu
  • Subscribe
  • Subscribe
  • News
  • Features
  • Knowledge Library
  • Columns
  • Customs
  • Jobs
  • Directory
  • FX Rates
  • Categories
    • Categories
    • Africa
    • Air Freight
    • BEE
    • Border Beat
    • COVID-19
    • Crime
    • Customs
    • Domestic
    • Duty Calls
    • Economy
    • Employment
    • Energy/Fuel
    • Events
    • Freight & Trading Weekly
    • Imports and Exports
    • Infrastructure
    • International
    • Logistics
    • Other
    • People
    • Road/Rail Freight
    • Sea Freight
    • Skills & Training
    • Social Development
    • Sustainability
    • Technology
    • Trade/Investment
    • Webinars
  • Contact us
    • Contact us
    • About Us
    • Advertise
    • Send us news
    • Editorial Guidelines
Logistics

Fertiliser shipment confirms Malawi’s logistical intent

24 Jun 2024 - by Staff reporter
Mozambique’s Port of Nacala. Source: Oriental Consultants Global
0 Comments

Share

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Google+
  • LinkedIn
  • E-mail
  • Print

Malawi is positioning itself as a multimodal transhipment country linking landlocked neighbours such as Zambia with burgeoning ports in northern Mozambique.

Apart from upgrading existing road infrastructure and expanding its logistical network through the support of the US foreign aid agency’s Millennium Challenge Corporation (MMC), Malawi is stepping up rail freight services to the Port of Nacala.

This has emerged following a shipment of fertiliser between Lusaka and the port, involving transhipment between road and rail at Kanengo Station in Malawi.

According to Kennedy Kwerani, commercial and marketing manager at Nacala Logistics, the shipment was a first for the company’s Lilongwe-Nacala Port Railway Freight Transport service.

Although the development bodes well for the potential establishment of a Lusaka-Lilongwe-Nacala corridor, capacity issues could hold back the potential for initial progress.

According to research by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (Jica), rail freight from Lilongwe remains hampered by an import-export tariff discrepancy.

“The import freight tariff is about 1.6 times higher than the export tariff, making rail transport less competitive for import.”

The same study Jica conducted in 2010 found that “compared to truck transportation, rail freight between Blantyre and Lilongwe is at a disadvantage in terms of transit time, taking an average of two days compared to 12 hours by truck”.

Although the report is 14 years old, sources say that not much has changed logistically for Malawi since then.

Nacala Logistics, of course, will beg to differ as the recent Nacala shipment and the MMC development shows real intent on Malawi’s part to draw transhipment benefit from its position between Zambia and Mozambican ports to the north of Beira.

Even though the Jica report is seemingly outdated, capacity challenges also exist on the Nacala end, a 2020 study by the European Centre for Development Policy Management has found.

It said that “Nacala port has limited storage capacity, leading to disruptions, delays, and quality losses for cargo as it is not smoothly moved through the port”.

It also re-emphasised the Jica study’s findings that “shipping lines are discouraged by the slow container handling times at the port, often as slow as four to six containers per hour, causing long ship turnaround times.”

Be that as it may, Malawi’s logistic developments are no doubt on an upward trajectory.

Sign up to our mailing list and get daily news headlines and weekly features directly to your inbox free.
Subscribe to receive print copies of Freight News Features to your door.

Transport evolution: a driver of international economic growth

Infrastructure
Logistics
Technology
Trade/Investment

John Rammutla of WSP points out that even the best-laid plans can fail without funding.

19 Jun 2025
0 Comments

MSC consortium in race against time to land MK Hutchison deal

Logistics
Trade/Investment

The acquisition will exclude operations in Hong Kong, although Hutchison’s HQ is located in the city state.

19 Jun 2025
0 Comments

Gauteng pothole mobile app speeds up repairs

Road/Rail Freight
Technology

Road maintenance is gaining ground as the public embrace the application to report potholes.

19 Jun 2025
0 Comments

DFFE installs new harbour signage in Western Cape

Infrastructure
Logistics

The initiative is part of a plan to revitalise infrastructure and boost coastal economic activity.

19 Jun 2025
0 Comments

Tankers on fire after Iran-Israel signal-jamming collision

Sea Freight
18 Jun 2025
0 Comments

Box ship blaze ‘partially contained’ – more than a week later

Sea Freight

The fire erupted following an explosion in one of the containers on the vessel.

18 Jun 2025
0 Comments

Increased tech vigilance necessary to prevent on-board infernos

Sea Freight
Technology

According to DNV, the number of maritime safety incidents increased by 42% since 2018.

18 Jun 2025
0 Comments

India intensifies legal action over ship fire incidents

Sea Freight

The directive follows a complaint lodged by a local trading company over cargo losses.

18 Jun 2025
0 Comments

Shipping industry backs ocean monitoring drive

Sea Freight

Some 10 000 ships will collect weather and ocean surface data as part of a new global initiative.

18 Jun 2025
0 Comments

IMO chief calls for action after UN Ocean Conference

Sea Freight

Biofouling, marine plastic litter and underwater radiated noise control came under the spotlight at the event.

18 Jun 2025
0 Comments

Sars clamps down on illegal fuel trade

Crime
Energy/Fuel

Adulterated fuel containing 68% paraffin has been detected during investigations.

18 Jun 2025
0 Comments

Trade and geopolitics on a knife edge amid Middle East conflict

Imports and Exports
Trade/Investment

It is important that Ramaphosa leaves the G7 discussions with a constructive outcome.

17 Jun 2025
0 Comments
  • More

FeatureClick to view

Botswana 20 June 2025

Border Beat

Police clamp down on cross-border crime
17 Jun 2025
Zim's anti-smuggling measures delay legitimate freight operations
06 Jun 2025
Cross-border payments remain a hurdle – Masondo
30 May 2025
More

Poll

Has South Africa's ports turned the corner?

Featured Jobs

Senior Sea/Air Import/Export Controller (Multimodal Controller) Strong on Imports

Tiger Recruitment
East Rand
20 Jun
More Jobs
  • © Now Media
  • Privacy Policy
  • Freight News RSS
  • About Us
  • Advertise
  • Send us news
  • Contact us