Mozambique’s Mocimboa da Praia port has reopened after almost two years of closure due to the conflict with insurgents in Cabo Delgado province.
The reopening of the port this week by the governor of Cabo Delgado, Valige Taubo, comes at a critical time as Mozambique works to become an exporter of LNG, Maritime Executive reports. Mozambique’s TotalEnergies CEO Maxime Rabilloud attended the reopening ceremony on Tuesday.
Insurgents were driven from the port town, which they captured as one of their last strongholds, just over a year ago.
Taubo said the resumption of port operations was made possible because of the restoration of security in the Cabo Delgado region.
During the reopening ceremony, a cargo ship belonging to a Mozambique LNG project, operated by TotalEnergies, called at the port. The vessel was carrying fuels, cars and other equipment for companies operating in the gas hub of Palma, a town approximately 80 kilometres north of Mocimboa da Praia port.
The port is located south of the Afungi Peninsula, the epicentre of Mozambique’s multibillion-dollar gas reserve, and is a critical link in the development of onshore LNG infrastructure in the area. TotalEnergies uses the port for cargo deliveries to the Afungi site.
Radicals affiliated to Islamic State captured the port town in 2020. However, a successful counter-insurgency operation between Mozambican and Rwandan forces led to the country regaining control in 2021.
Meanwhile, Mozambique Ports and Railways Authority (CFM) recently announced plans to rehabilitate the port infrastructure at Mocimboa. It estimated that rebuilding state infrastructure in at least seven districts impacted by the armed conflict in Cabo Delgado will cost around $9 million.
However, security alert levels remain high in Cabo Delgado even as the country seeks to regain its losses. Sporadic attacks hit the region in August and September.
