‘New geographies’ doing business through Mozambique

There is a noticeable shift in shipping patterns in and out of Mozambique, according to Eduardo Miyazawa, Safmarine country manager Mozambique and Malawi. “New geographies are doing business with Mozambique. We are seeing steady growth in volumes from Turkey, Vietnam and Thailand,” he says. Growing volumes to and from the hinterland point to economic recovery in the region. “Malawian, Zambian and Zimbabwean agricommodity exporters who use the Beira corridor for their exports to the Far East and Europe have doubled volumes in the last two years, while South African exporters of minerals and fresh fruit exporters have benefitted from the growth of the Maputo corridor,” he says. Safmarine is responding to the shifting patterns by increasing its presence in Beira and Nacala. “Beira is Mozambique’s busiest port, and it is becoming more competitive,” he says. “In the next four years we expect the market to double, thanks to developments in agribusinesses and the construction boom which is already underway. “Both these developments are expected to ‘economically revolutionise’ Mozambique and stimulate business for Safmarine and our customers in this region,” he says. Safmarine is responding to the increase in volumes by focusing on the changing needs of its shippers. The line recently opened a dedicated commercial desk in Nacala to provide local support for customers who were previously served from its offices in Beira and Maputo. It is investing in people and systems to improve response times and to improve data and invoice accuracy. “We are taking the whole supply chain into consideration and are communicating more with our customers than ever before,” he says. Safmarine’s Safari 3 service provides direct connectivity to all the major ports via the port of Tanjung Pelepas and Port Louis. INSERT & CAPTION We are seeing steady growth in volumes from Turkey, Vietnam and Thailand. – Eduardo Miyazawa