Independent Beira Logistics Terminals & Services (IBLT&S) are building a new 14 000 square-metre facility to keep up with the growing volume of bulk commodities through the Beira Corridor.According to general manager Neil Stals, the company has also invested in specialised equipment and machinery to enable the streamlining of processes within the new facility. “As margins are under pressure, the focus is on efficiencies and how we can be most effective in our service offerings,” he said. Commenting on volume growth, Stals said more and more bulk commodities were coming through Beira.“With the borders to South Africa being under so much pressure, mines are looking at ways to get their product to market quicker. We have seen a steady increase in bulk volumes as the port looks to increase its capacity to meet these r ising volumes.”According to Stals, one of the key opportunities for the Beira Corridor is to simply take advantage of the volumes that would usually go through South Africa. “By providing a quicker route to market, through diverse operations, we would prove our ability to keep these volumes through this region. Technology is another advantageous opportunity where visibility of product has always been somewhat limited,” he said. “It’s exciting times for the whole corridor. Although the pandemic has put a strain on volumes globally, we had a significant increase in volumes through 2020. Cost and route to market lead times have come to play a crucial role in these increases.”The volatile market in commodities was, however, one of the major challenges to overcome and caused somewhat of a disruption. “Mining houses are looking at establishing stockpiles closer to export ports, so that when the price is right, their product is readily available to be containerised and exported.”Just as important for the corridor, said Stals, was the ongoing move to exploration. “There’s some exciting exploration going on in the hinterland. New deposits have been identified, and with some new mines starting to produce already, we should see volumes start in the 2nd and 3rd quarter of this year.”This is good news for the corridor. “There will always be opportunities in the Beira Corridor as there will always be a high demand for minerals out of Africa. We still have rich deposits, and the supply and demand remain in good balance. The life cycle of some mines is coming to an end, but with steady growth and new mines coming into production, the export of minerals remains an opportunity for sustainable growth in the region.”