Maersk Mozambique sees
so much growth potential
in central and northern
Mozambique that it is moving
its head office from Maputo to
Beira.
“Beira has been experiencing
explosive growth over the past
three years. Volumes in the first
three months of 2012 were 53%
up on the previous year,” says
Jorge Fernandes, managing
director of Maersk Mozambique.
The move will consolidate
Maersk’s operations in
Mozambique, and allow it to
raise its levels of service, he
says.
It will also put Maersk in
the right position to be part of
the development of the Beira
corridor into neighbouring
states.
Another plus is that having
its head office in the centre
of the country will allow
Maersk to develop its services
through all the growing ports in
Mozambique.
“Being in Beira is crucial for
a shipping line, but that is not to
say that we will not continue to
focus on the other ports. Maputo
is the gateway into South Africa,
and we will retain a strong
team in the city to service our
clients,” he says.
The new offices are expected
to open in February 2013 in one
of the new office complexes
being built in Beira.
Having a strong presence in
Beira will also help Maersk to
closely monitor developments
in the port, which continues to
present draught challenges after
being dredged.
To the north, Nacala is
presenting a challenge at present
due to a fall-off in wood exports
following government action to
protect the natural forests.
But planned investment into
a new container export terminal
and investments in agriculture
hold promise for the future.
Maersk is currently the biggest
carrier of bananas grown in
northern Mozambique and
exported to the Middle East
and provides exporters with
the required technical reefer
support.
According to the
Confederation of Mozambican
Economic Associations, the
country’s eight major producers
exported around US$50-million
worth of bananas in 2011.
Maersk is working with the
various farmers to help expand
their markets into Europe and
the Far East.
CAPTION
Jorge Fernandes … explosive growth.
