Lüderitz has come up with a transhipment solution for its shallow port and is stepping up marketing among exporters now that it has proven itself perfectly capable of handling steadily increasing manganese outflows.
According to Namibia’s ports authority, it will entail a transhipment feeder service through a barge/vessel that will be stationed at the port and will be used to feed bigger-sized vessels, such as Panamax or Cape Max sizes stationed at anchorage.
“The operation is expected to commence in early 2022,” Namport said.
For the time being there is no further information about plans to develop a deepwater port at Angra Point across the bay (read related story here: https://tinyurl.com/2p9evjr8).
What is certain though is that although the Port of Lüderitz has seen a strong year-on-year increase of 44% in manganese exports – handling 468 869 metric tons (mt) for the first seven months of the current financial year– it could process even more volume.
Namport added that “the envisaged transhipment service is expected to increase the monthly export throughput from the current 75 000 to 180 000 mt once a month.
“This operation will provide a much-needed economy of scale that would positively impact the freight cost, hence the cost of doing business.”
Whilst somewhat overshadowed by the much larger Namibian port further north at Walvis Bay, Lüderitz is certainly coming into its own.
Writing in the November edition of its bulletin, Quayside, the Namport said it is confident about the competitive edge that Lüderitz is attaining in the market.
Coming up with resourceful solutions for seemingly insurmountable capacity challenges such as the bedrock that Lüderitz sits on means the port can serve as a catalyst towards regional integration and intra-Africa trade facilitation, Namport emphasised.
