Terry Hutson THE NEW three-line shipping service of P&O Nedlloyd, Laurel Navigation and Pacific International Line (PIL) calling at Maputo as part of its SE Asia, Middle East, East and South Africa trade “is very exciting”, according to Jan Bekker, new business development manager of Mozambique International Ports Services (MIPS) which operates the container terminal at the port. This, he told FTW, raises hopes that they might eventually be able to fill the big gap in international links for the port of Maputo which currently has no link-up with a line on a direct service to the Far East. The services already calling at Maputo are Ignazio Messina to East Africa and the Mediterranean; Macs to the north west continent (NWC) and the UK; Global Container Line on the East Africa, Gulf, Indian sub-continent trade; and the Unifeeder and MSC feeder services to-and-from the hub port of Durban. “The gaps are currently to the US - for which there is some demand, but not a big cargo volume - and the Far East,” said Bekker. “And presently, most of the trade through Maputo is with the Far East.” The current MIPS thinking, is that the first step in getting this link-up might be hubbing into a Far East service through the likes of Dar es Salaam, Bekker added. “But the ultimate first prize,” he told FTW, “would be a mainline carrier - like P&O Nedlloyd, for example - putting in a direct service.” Bekker has been discussing this for some time with the lines and - although the direct link with the Far East is not yet there - the entry of the new three-line service might be a sign that lines are getting more interested in trading through Maputo. “It’s encouraging from the point-of-view of the Maputo corridor initiative,” he said, “and this latest addition might be the first step along the path to filling the vast gap left by having no service to the Asian ports.”
