Maputo records significant growth in mineral exports on Southern Africa-Asia route

The Port of Maputo is becoming an increasingly popular deepwater transit point for minerals moving between industrial consumers in Asia and the mineral-rich regions of Southern Africa, according to Maputo Port Development Company commercial director Dick Moore. He says exports of raw materials are increasing year-on-year with the port creating additional bulk storage and handling capacity. Back in the ‘60s about half of coal exports from what was then the Transvaal were delivered to the busy Indian Ocean port of Maputo and shipped to Europe, says Moore. “Today South African coal is still shipped through Port Maputo but from the bulk terminal at Matola which also handles large volumes of magnetite from the Phalaborwa mine.” In 2007, Grindrod Terminals, the leaseholder, launched a major rehabilitation and modernisation programme that will eventually create capacity for 10m tonnes per annum throughput. The first phase of the project, which is nearing completion, will provide capacity for 3.5m tonnes. “While this work has been in progress, CFM, the Mozambican rail authority, has comprehensively rehabilitated the 92km railway between the port and the SA border so that trains will run on tracks that match Transnet specifications in every respect,” he added. According to Moore, the Maputo terminals have specialised in a range of minerals. “Foremost is ferrochrome, smelted and exported from South Africa and Zimbabwe to the world’s steel manufacturers. In recent years demand has exceeded supply and large volumes of chrome ore and concentrates are now being shipped to smelters in China along with ferrochrome.” Tonnage through the port has more than doubled since 2005 and is expected to reach the 1 000 000 tonne mark this year. During 2008 the ferro terminal saw the delivery of specialised new handling equipment. “This has led to a significant improvement in shiploading times and the efficiency of container packing operations.,” said Moore. “Additonal sidings have been added in expectation of more rail deliveries from South Africa in 2009.” From Zimbabwe ferro and chrome is delivered to Maputo by rail along the rehabilitated Limpopo line. “Transit times have been reduced from 28 days to eight,” he added. “South African exports are mostly delivered by road from smelters and mines in Mpumalanga and the port’s position less than 400km from the Steelpoort Valley makes road transport a quick and cost-effective logistics solution.” Since 2006 large volumes of bulk sulphur from the Middle East have been imported for delivery to Zambia, DRC and Zimbabwe for production of sulphuric acid used in the copper refining process. Exports of DRC and Zambian copper and copper concentrates are expected to follow in 2009. Shortly, the port will also start handling exports of nickel concentrates delivered by rail from Zambia.