New Beira warehouse caters for all cargo types

CWT-ASI Logistics

Mozambique has

moved into a new

warehouse facility in

Beira that is geared to handle

all types of cargo.

With 8 500 sqm under roof

and a yard of 100 000sqm,

the facility has helped

tobacco exporters meet the

strict regulations covering

tobacco beetle infestations,

according to Victor Ferreira,

general manager of CWTASI

Mozambique, part of

the CWT-Aquarius Shipping

International group.

So far this year over 99% of

containers fumigated in the new

facility have met the minimum

requirements – compared to a

high failure rate for containers

packed and processed in the

port, he says.

Various reports indicate high

infestation levels of tobacco

beetles in the port, and as a

result handling of tobacco

inside the port has been heavily

discouraged by the tobacco

industry.

The industry is very supportive

of the Beira corridor, but beetleinfested

tobacco arriving in

Europe can cause delays and

extra costs and can detract from

the other positive inf luences that

Beira offers, he

says.

“CWT-ASI

Mozambique,

in its quest to

improve the

situation, is

continuously

working with

both local

fumigation

companies

and overseas

customers in an

effort to improve all problematic

areas and continually strives to

ensure Beira remains a viable

and competitive option for the

industry,” he adds.

Containers are treated on-site

at the CWT-ASI facility by

its own team of fumigators

and are delivered to the port

just before the stack date in

order to minimise the risk of

reinfestation.

Minerals and other bulk

commodities are now handled

in the CWT-ASI

warehouse just

outside the port.

Bulk

fertilisers are

also being

stored in the

new facility,

which has

bagging

machines for

the repacking of

fertiliser, rice or

other products

where bags have been damaged.

“We can now store a full vessel

load. Recently we discharged a

16 000-ton vessel in four days,

with trucks making 333 trips

over the four days – something

of a record for CWT and the

port,” says Ferreira.

He adds the achievement

was made possible by greater

efficiencies within the port by

the operator Cornelder.

There have been big

improvements in truck

turnaround times and the

loading and discharging of

vessels, he says.

CWT-ASI works closely with

Cornelder to encourage more

companies to make use of the

strategically well-positioned

port.

Due to the high demand for

the services being offered the

company is taking space in a

second warehouse on the same

premises.

There is also space to store

containers on-site.

CWT-ASI offers a full

forwarding service for importers

and exporters in partnership with

accredited transport operators.

INSERT & CAPTION

Helping tobacco

exporters meet the

strict regulations

covering tobacco beetle

infestations.

– Victor Ferreira