MSC has one dedicated service with four vessels calling on a weekly basis, respectively Durban/Maputo/ Mombasa/ Dar es Salaam/ Nacala/Maputo/ Durban. Another dedicated shuttle service calls on Durban/Beira/ Durban on a weekly basis with a transit time of two days between the two ports. The service offers exporters and importers in the region easy access to the rest of the world and direct service to the East African markets, says Marcelino Buanaique Junior, the branch manager of MSC Maputo. At present the main cargo going to the East Africa service is sugar. Vermiculite, ferrochrome, manganese, timber, metal scrap, vegetable oil, citrus, seafood and personal effects are the main commodities moved in containers, he says. With Maputo Container Terminal operating smoothly and efficiently, he says the port also offers access to world markets through the shipping company’s Durban hub. “The waiting in Maputo is less than 12 hours, and vessels are being turned around in 24 hours or less,” he says. Vessels that sail from Maputo take a day to reach Durban, from which the cargo can be routed either east or west. INSERT & CAPTION Vessels are being turned around in 24 hours or less. – Marcelino Buanaique
