Maputo Port focuses on specialist niche

“WE ARE putting Maputo on the map as a very good internationally recognised port by focusing on what we can do well and not trying to do everything,” says newly-appointed Maputo Port CEO Ron Herman. The focus will be on commodities, and on serving Mpumalanga, Limpopo, Northern KwaZulu/Natal, Swaziland and Gauteng. Herman, whose relationship with the port dates back to the days when he was at sea with the then Durban Lines, sees the port as a “broad canvas” with all the basics in place to create a “masterpiece”. “The team that is here has done amazing things over the past four years. Maputo is now a working port and we are ready to take it into the next phase as a boutique port offering a selected range of services that we do exceptionally well,” says Herman, who returned to Africa after operating a shipping line between Britain and France for Bidvest for five years. Commodity and freight exports in which the port will specialise include ferrochrome, aluminium, granite, coal, sugar fruit and motor cars. A new car terminal, which is 100% owned by Grindrod, will be operational before the end of the year. The terminal was built without any confirmed customers in line with the Maputo Ports philosophy of being ready for expected demand. Grindrod has a 12.5% share in the Maputo Port Development Company which operates, markets and develops the Port of Maputo. “We are planning now and putting systems in place for when the rush starts. That is the reason we are focusing on specific areas,” says Herman. The “rush” will start when South African exporters realise that Maputo is fully operational and that it offers a number of advantages. “We are the closest port to the East, which is where the growth in demand for raw materials is coming from.” Another “rush” will come when the Zimbabwean economy starts recovering and attracts investment. Maputo has plenty of capacity, Herman points out. In 1972, both Durban and Maputo handled 17 million tons a year. Today Durban is handling 45 million tons, while Maputo is down to six million tons – with the same infrastructure that handled 17 million tons. The present port capacity is 25 million tons a year, he says. Import cargoes for which Maputo is gearing up include grain, beans, rice and motor cars mostly for local consumption. Herman stresses that the port is not in competition with Durban or other South African harbours. “We should be seen as complementary.” Maputo can take some of the strain off Durban while improving efficiencies within South Africa, he says. An example is the 400 000 cartons of oranges exported through Durban from Mpumalanga. The farms are over six hundred kilometres from Durban, but just 100 kilometres from Maputo. Traffic will be attracted through strengthening the port’s relationship with CFM, the Mozambican ports and railway authority. Efficient rail links are the key to attracting bulk cargo to the port. “As the only private port in Africa, we are determined to succeed and to be recognised as world class,” he says.