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.