Maputo port investment stays on schedule

The sight of dredgers working

on the channel leading into

the port of Maputo shows

that investment in the port

is continuing despite the current

global downturn in demand for

commodities.

Volumes are down from 20 million

tons in the previous financial year

to an estimated 14 million in the

current financial year, according to

Johann Botha, commercial director

of the Maputo Port Development

Company (MPDC).

This drop has been turned into

an advantage, with the MPDC

upgrading the ore storage and

handling facilities and refurbishing

the quays in line with the port’s

“terminalisation” strategy.

The strategy is aimed at helping

importers and exporters to reduce

their logistics costs. “We assist in

finding solutions to ensure the

corridor remains competitive,” says

Botha.

Cargo is now stored closer to the

berths where it will be loaded, and a

new ring road has been built at the

back of the port to allow unrestricted

access to the stacks on both the

receiving/despatch of cargo as well

vessel operations.

The road has allowed the port

to completely separate the cargo

stacking from vessel handling

operations.

Rail facilities within the port have

been upgraded, and efficiencies

have been improved during a trial

in which MPDC took responsibility

for the shunting of wagons in the

harbour, leaving the national rail

company, Caminhos de Ferro de

Moçambique, (CFM) to focus on the

long haul.

There has also been time to focus

on skills development, with Liebherr

training crane operators as part

of a purchasing contract for new

equipment.

But, for most visitors to Maputo,

the most obvious sign of the

investment in the port remains the

dredgers – one of which is the largest

in the world.

The dredging operations, aimed at

deepening the Maputo Port shipping

channel from its current -11 metres

to -14.2 metres, are scheduled to

last 10 months, with work having

started in May this year.

An estimated 30 million cubic

metres of sediment will be removed

from the 70-kilometre-long

channel.

It will be both deepened and

widened to smooth out tight curves

which restrict the length of vessel

the port can accommodate.

“What we are finding is that the

new generation of vessels is longer

and wider rather than just deeper,”

says Botha.

At the same time the berths

within the port are being upgraded.

Three of the berths are being

transformed into two berths that

are each 250 metres long, and 15

metres deep at low tide, according

to Botha.

Grindrod is expanding the

Matola terminal to accommodate

vessels of up to 80 000 tons –

which will now be able to pass

safely through the channel.

The investment is already paying

off. “Despite the challenges we are

seeing volumes growing again,”

says Botha.

Changes in the mix reflect the

dynamics of the market, with

drought causing sugar export

volumes to drop and maize import

volumes to increase.

Volumes of clinker are also

growing to feed new cement plants

in Mozambique.

“By the end of 2018 we will be

back to 20 million tons a year, and

we will be handling a larger range

of commodities.

“What we are doing right is that

we have remained flexible. We are

always on hand to help customers,

and they know who to talk to.

Thanks to our lean structure,

decision making is a quick process.

CAPTION

Van Oord’s trailing suction hopper dredger (TSHD)

HAM 310 working in the Maputo channel.