Mozambican road haulier
Transportes Lalgy has
responded to the need for
bulk transport as the coal mines in
the Tete province start producing
ahead of the completion of the rail
infrastructure.
The company currently has about
80 vehicles hauling coal from
Tete through to the port of Beira,
according to Transportes Lalgy
logistics manager Galbo Ismael.
Founded in 1989, it has grown to
be one of the largest road transport
operators in the region and has
offices in Beira and Chimoio
(Zambia), in addition to its Matola
head office outside Maputo.
Lalgy invested in the vehicles
for Tete to support the start of
production by the Minas Moatize
coal mine operated by Beacon Hills
Resources in Tete.
In 2011, it allocated a fleet of 20
trucks, each capable of carrying
36 tons, to the project. The fleet is
expected to transport half a million
tons of coal a year to the port of
Beira to supply Jindal Steel and
Power of India.
Rail delays have seen demand for
road increasing, which led to the
additional investment, according
to Aly Lalgy, one of the owners of
Transportes Lalgy.
The company expects to be in
Tete “for the long term” even when
the rail system starts operating
more efficiently, and when a link
is built through Malawi to the
northern port of Nacala, according
to Ismael.
Junior miners will find it difficult
to access rail, and will have to rely
on road, he believes.
Transportes Lalgy could also
reassign its vehicles to other
corridors, where it is also a major
carrier.
When chrome exports out of
Zimbabwe were at their height, the
company carried around 80 000
tons a month for export through
Beira. There are signs that this
traffic is recovering from its low of
10 000 tons a month, he says.
CAPTION
A Lalgy truck carrying coal from Tete to Beira crossing the bridge over the
Zambezi River.
