Digitisation of the operations of the port of Maputo, which includes direct connections to the mines, has paved the way for speeding up border crossings at the South Africa/Mozambique border.Osório Lucas, chief executive officer of the Maputo Port Development Company (MPDC), says the bulk of the information needed for clearance is captured by the port system at the mine.This information can be made available to customs in order to preclear cargo, trucks and drivers.Improvements to productivity in the port have now put the focus on the border post, which is unable at present to process trucks fast enough to match the productivity of the port – particularly with the introduction of Covid-19 protocols. “The port works 24 hours a day, which means that trucks should move 24 hours a day.“We believe it is possible to move to a 24-hour border and a single border,” he told Freight News.Progress is being made through steps towards a “soft” single border.“ We a re engaging directly with the Mozambican and South African governments,” he says.Mozambican customs has a team which clears the trucks caught between the South African border and KM4 border post on the Mozambican side between the present operating hours.This means that there is no back-up when the border post opens at six. The port has also established an interim truck stop which can accommodate 100 trucks during the hours that the borders are closed. They would be able to be released from four in the morning for the return leg if a “soft” border is in place. There is pressure from all sides on customs officials to speed up border crossing times.According to Lucas, it takes around 30 hours for a truck to drive from a mine to the port and back. At present the turnaround time is 2.5 to three days per truck due to border delays.This represents significant lost revenue to the Mozambican fiscus. It is estimated that “collateral loss” to Mozambique alone in 2021 will be around $30 million due to inefficiencies. “No matter what we do, the port will be inefficient if the trucking system is not efficient,” he says. MPDC is also concentrating on improving rail links to the port.“We have removed the constraints inside the port and the challenge now is a lack of rolling stock, in addition to cable theft and sabotage in South Africa,” he says.We believe it is possible to move to a 24-hour border and a single border.– Osório Lucas “Osório Lucas
