With no more physical space to grow, the Maputo Port Development Company is focusing on improving efficiencies in order to meet the increasing flow of commodities and goods through the harbour, according to chief operations officer Marla Calado. Having dredged the approach channel to 14.4 metres, MPDC is investing in the equipment needed to handle larger vessels, and to speed up loading and unloading. The port can now load 100 000- ton vessels with both cargo and bunkers. Reconfiguration of the laydown areas is planned to be completed by the second quarter of 2020, and will increase storage capacity in the port of Maputo by 54%. Between 2012 and 2019 the chrome handling capacity has been increased from 1.6 million tons a year (MTA) to 5.4 MTA, with an additional 2.4MTA of hardstands to come on stream in 2020. A dedicated ferrochrome facility is being built to handle both ferrochrome and chrome ore. This is part of the repurposing of berths 6, 7 and 8, which were initially configured to handle citrus and other cargo from South Africa. The old warehouses have been demolished, and are being replaced with new hard surfaces. Berth 9 will be able to accommodate two Panamax vessels, with a depth of 15m at the quayside. Work on the quays and berths is expected to be completed by July 2020. There is also investment on the landside, with the number of rail lines in the port being increased from 21 to 24, in order to accommodate two trains of 50 wagons by 2021. The new rail marshalling yard and systems will improve wagon turnaround time, which will help increase the capacity of the rail line without the need to invest in new equipment in, she says. Road links within the port are also being upgraded and reconfigured in order to speed up the turnaround of the average of 1 200 trucks a day entering through the gates. A new staging area is being constructed in order to filter the vehicles into the right slots, and a circular road system is being built. On the systems side, all the paperwork for the truck is done at the mine through an automated and integrated system with our customers that also manages the inventory of cargo in the port. There are measurable results, she says. Vessel turnaround times have been reduced by two days thanks to a 33% improvement in daily throughput at berth 9 and 32% at berth 5.
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