Maputo car terminal ready for post-recession growth

By the time post-recession car buyers are again in the market, Maputo’s auto terminal will have been upgraded to accommodate five times the number of vehicles that can currently be processed at the port facility. From an annual handling capacity of 52 000 units since Grindrod opened the port’s first terminal dedicated to motor vehicles in 2007, Phase 2 expansion will allow 180 000 cars a year to pass through the port. Accommodation for high and heavy vehicles will be provided in Phase 3, which will up total capacity to 250 000 units a year “Depending on take-up and contracts awarded, Phase 2 capacity will be added in 2011 and is expected to be taken up by 2012,” Paul Leisegang, manager of Grindrod Terminals told FTW. Phase 2 work is set for conclusion in 2011, by which time southern Africans may be buying more cars and the investment in making Maputo a viable port of entry for SA-destined vehicles will be put to the test. “Growth in volume in 2009 was very small. The potential growth this year will come from contracts with importers and exporters,” said Leisegang. Second-hand units brought in from the Far East for resale in Mozambique comprised the bulk of imports at the terminal last year.