Lalgy gears up to handle growing demand for bulk transport

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.