Mozambican operators are upbeat, thanks to growing volumes and increased interest in the country, says Andreas Kusza, senior manager for Manica Freight Services (MFS).“The past season saw the return of perishable cargo to the Port of Maputo, and it has been a huge success – despite initial scepticism from many in the industry,” he told Freight News. “We are an agent for global shipping lines that have slots on its Unifeeder service connecting Jebel Ali and Mundra/India with Maputo. The citrus exports went very well, and we believe that volumes will grow going forward.”He said it was not only the return of citrus that had contributed to the positive outlook, but the fact that it was a mix of cargo that was f lowing. “Cargo destined for the hinterland continues to come in through Maputo. We have seen increased volume from India and Mideast, and it makes sense to use the Maputo services as it shortens the transit time by at least a week or two. There are block trains moving from Maputo to Harare in Zimbabwe. These are interesting developments that bode well for Mozambican log istics.”He said MFS was involved in a variety of projects at present, including the oil and gas industry in the north of the country. With the major LNG project in Afungi still on hold after the oil company declared force majeure last year, he said the contracts had not been cancelled. “We had plans to mobilise in Afungi, but set up the team in Pemba and have managed to get involved with other gas projects in the area doing marine services, forwarding and clearing.”He said the growing oil and gas business in Mozambique, despite the situation that unfolded in the north last year, remained an opportunity for the logistics sector.A consortium has announced plans to start drilling in a new area near Angoche – and by the sounds of it, there are positive developments. Electricidade de Moçambique (EDM), Mozambique's state-owned national power utility, has announced refurbishment and upgrade programmes for their existing infrastructure in the country, while several new power plants are on the cards.“In many of these projects the logistics service providers have not been named and some of the projects are still in the pipeline. It does, however, speak to the opportunity that exists and shows that investment in the country is on the rise.”He said MFS had recently completed the move of a drill rig from Tanzania to the Cahora Bassa basin on the Zimbabwe side where two wells are set to be drilled. “We brought the rig into the site through the Port of Quelimane. There were a few challenges to the project but it just proves once again that operators in Mozambique can handle the oil and gas projects and are able to come up with innovative solutions to any challenge that comes their way.”According to Kusza, interest was not only in Mozambique but several of its neighbouring countries. “Malawi and Zambia are countries where we are seeing several projects developing and where we are currently involved. It is not an easy operating environment but again, we are managing to find innovative solutions to tricky challenges.”He said it was, however, important for companies to avoid having all their eggs in one basket – and diversification was the name of the game at present. “We don’t just focus on our forwarding and clearing business but also on the ships agency, warehousing and the marine side of the business.”
