India service adds direct Maputo call

JOY ORLEK IN A significant milestone for the Port of Maputo, September 17 will see the launch of a fortnightly direct service from India by Delmas and CMA/CGM calling Nhava Sheva, Port Louis, Durban, Maputo, Nacala and Port Victoria. There’s been a strong call from various South African shippers for an eastbound service into Asia, according to Pamela Yerushalmy, general manager of CMA CGM Shipping Agencies SA. “Our DINSAS service was suitable in terms of transit time and port rotation to include Maputo, and Nava Sheva is a gateway as far as Asia and the Middle East are concerned.” While Yerushalmy declined to comment on port efficiency at this stage, she said a Delmas representative was in Maputo last week to investigate operational issues. “If this was an eastbound call for China, there could be a significant shift from Durban to Maputo for various Mpumalanga origin cargoes because that is really what the market is calling for,” said Yerushalmy. “We have been looking at it for the past couple of months but neither of our Asian services - SEAS and WAX - that call in South Africa had sufficient time in the rotation to make an eastbound call in Maputo.” New business development manager of the MIPS container terminal, Jan Bekker, was upbeat about the development. “For the size of vessel on the DINSAS service the draught is no problem. In fact these vessels are substantially smaller than the MACS and Messina vessels which call on a regular basis. “In terms of productivity we’re achieving at least 15 lifts an hour and don’t anticipate any problems.” Bekker agrees that a service to the Far East, which could generate a significant volume of cargo, would be first prize for the port. “Several lines have shown interest and a number are involved in feasibility studies."