Grindrod stokes up expansion at Maputo

Mozambique remains top of
the agenda for Grindrod
which plans to invest in
the expansion of the Maputo
coal terminal.
According to Alan Olivier,
CEO of Grindrod Limited,
the company’s continued
investment in infrastructure
and equipment in the Port of
Maputo is making a significant
contribution toward the growth
of the port.
“Maputo is close to
South Africa’s coalfields of
Mpumalanga and the huge
market that is Gauteng, and is
an ideal export corridor to ship
commodities to developing
markets,” he said.
The recent expansion
(phase 3) of Grindrod’s coal
terminal in Maputo (Terminal
de Carvão da Matola – TCM)
has increased the terminal’s
capacity to 6 million tons (mt)
per annum. The operational
capability includes the ability
to discharge 50-wagon trains
in less than four hours, a
stockpile capacity in excess
of 400 000 tons, a guaranteed
minimum vessel loading rate
of 15 000 tons per day, and two
shiploaders capable of loading
simultaneously.
According to Olivier, in
mid-2011 TCM was receiving
rail throughput of coal and
magnetite of approximately
320 000 tonnes per month, up
from 2010 when an average of
150 000 tonnes per month
was received.
“This improved rail capacity
is mainly due to a vast reduction
in the turnaround times of the
existing rail resources on the
Maputo corridor,” he said.
“Coal wagons to TCM, for
example, have improved from
an eight-day cycle to less than
five days. The current phase
of the Transnet Freight Rail
ramp-up plan from South Africa
is targeting 35 x 40-wagon
coal trains and 10 x 60-wagon
magnetite trains per week. This
translates into a combined
450 000 tonnes per month. The
final phase of the ramp-up,
planned for the latter part of this
year, will take the terminal up to
its 6 million tons annual design
capacity.”
Olivier said Phase 4, which
could expand capacity from the
current 6 million tons to more
than 20 million tons, is already
at feasibility stage.
“This future phase of
expansion may be in a single- or
two-phased approach but will
require excavation and land
reclamation, the construction
of two new berths, a stockyard,
and railway infrastructure. The
final terminal footprint will be
in the region of 120 hectares
(excluding any reclaimed
areas).
“We believe that the demand
to move cargo through the
coal terminal will continue to
grow and we are gearing up to
accommodate this increased
demand for capacity from both
established and junior miners.”