MIPS targets 100 000 teus a year

CONTAINER VOLUMES through Maputo are growing rapidly from 62 500 teus a year “at best” to the present capacity of 100 000 teus a year, according to MIPS Container Terminal new business development manager Jan Bekker. The terminal is already well on its way to reaching the target – it is expected to handle over 72 000 teus this financial year. Greater volumes have attracted new services, with MOL offering a direct service to the Far East. “This was a missing link. With an average of three vessels a month, the service has so much potential to grow,” he says. There have also been trial services from Maputo to Asia by Delmas. Now the focus is on inbound traffic. Bekker says the biggest opportunity for growth lies in imports through Maputo. This traffic is growing as importers realise that the port of Maputo is now fully functional and is served by efficient road and rail links to South Africa and other neighbouring states. MIPS sees Mpumalanga, Limpopo, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Botswana, Gauteng and as far up as Malawi and the Democratic Republic of Congo as its target markets. “We are the natural port for much of the Southern African hinterland and could serve as a good distribution centre for these areas,” he says. One of the biggest challenges is changing attitudes. “South African importers and exporters are still concerned about working through Mozambique as there is a border to cross.” Another challenge is the misconception that Maputo offers limited services. “We connect to weekly named-day services from anywhere in the world,” he says. Transhipments through Durban are handled efficiently. “In Durban, the land-side congestion is more of a problem. There is not as much congestion on the sea side,” he says. Bekker stresses that Maputo is not in competition with its bigger neighbours down south. “We are not here to compete with D urban. We see ourselves as a complementary service which handles excess container volumes.” In addition, Maputo is closer to a number of key markets than D urban – offering a more costeffective service.