Lower port charges benefit car terminal

A decision by the port

of Maputo to reduce

tariffs has made

Grindrod’s car terminal

more competitive, according to

Alan Olivier, the chief executive of

Grindrod.

He is quoted in an August

edition of Club of Mozambique

News as saying that the company is

looking at ways of balancing loads

in order to further reduce the costs

of using the terminal, which has

seen volumes drop by 42% in the

six months to

June compared to

the same period

in 2014.

Transporters

are taking

vehicles from

Gauteng to the

terminal for

export, but are

returning empty.

This provides

capacity for

vehicle importers

through Maputo.

He was speaking at the release of

the company’s interim results.

The Grindrod Maputo car

terminal came into operation in

November 2007 with an initial

capacity to park about 1 455 cars

and an annual throughput capacity

of 52 000 cars.

The terminal has since expanded

to 4158 parking

bays with a

throughput

capacity of

150 000 cars a

year.

Most recently

a high-tech wash

bay was added.

All the water

used to clean the

cars is pre-treated

and then recycled.

When FTW

visited, the run-off from the wash

bay was so clean that frogs were

croaking in the drainage channels.

According to Grindrod, the

terminal was built because

Maputo is ideally situated for the

export and import of vehicles by

Gauteng-based manufacturers and

importers.

Höegh Autoliners has acquired

an interest in the car terminal and

co-operates with Grindrod in the

development of the terminal as a

major hub port for the region.

INSERT & CAPTION

The company is looking at

ways of balancing loads

in order to further reduce

the costs of using the

terminal.

– Alan Olivier

CAPTION

New washbays have been installed at the

Grindrod car terminal in the Port of Maputo.