Port Louis aims for regional hub status

Long-term plans will see Port Louis capable of handling up to 485 000 TEUs by 2020 and 745 000 by 2025. Shakeer Gobudhone, director of port development for Port Louis harbour, told the 8th Indian Ocean Ports and Logistics Conference held in the Mauritian capital recently that implementation of the Port Master Plan had begun in 2009. “By 2015, we will have a new Port Master Plan with well-defined land use and port development,” he said. Central to the planning is to accommodate the trend towards 8 000-TEU and larger vessels by the shipping lines. At present vessels are calling at Port Louis with a reduced draught as the published depth at berth is 14m BCD. The capacity of these large vessels is therefore not being maximised. At present the only port in the Indian Ocean region with the draught for 8 000 plus TEU vessels without restriction is Coega, he said. The five existing post Panamax quay cranes in Port Louis have an outreach of 16 containers across.