Following the announcement in April this year of the handling of the first citrus reefer exports for the 2022 season by the Port of Maputo, latest indications are that all is going according to plan and that the port’s ambitions to become a viable alternative to the congested Port of Durban are bearing fruit.
Citrus Growers’ Association logistics development manager Mitchell Brooke recently travelled from Malelane through Komatipoort – Ressano Garcia border down to Maputo port and saw first-hand the efforts that have been made to allow citrus to be exported from the port once again.
After visiting the Maputo Fruit Terminal (MFT) and DP World Maputo he commented that the MFT had “a very neat and well-equipped terminal for the handling of ambient loading from Maputo.
“DP World has also put a lot of emphasis on reefer-equipped infrastructure, including reefer wash bays, PTI facilities, and reefer stacking yards (power backup supplied by generators should power be disrupted).”
He said the Maputo port itself was also in the process of massive upgrades to quay walls, quay surfaces and roadways, fully supported by a hardened and “no-nonsense” security force.
“The most pleasing aspect is that reefers are released from DP World and packed at MFT only a few hundred metres away. Reefers are then transported back to DP World and plugged in, ready to be shipped.”
Maersk, CMA CGM, Hapag-Lloyd, ONE Line and Unifeeder are currently serving the port.
In 2021, 134 000 pallets (6 700 containers) of grapefruit and oranges were exported to the Middle East from Durban, 41 700 pallets (2 085 containers) to non-temperature sensitive markets in the Far East, and 38 000 pallets (1 900 containers) to Bangladesh. Altogether 10 685 containers.
Brooke said role-players had made a serious investment and commitment to exporting citrus from Maputo for 2022. “Producers are encouraged to consider this option to ensure future sustainability, considering mounting pressure on the logistics chain.”
“Through a combination of new solutions, DP World in Maputo is proving itself as an ideal gateway for the South African citrus industry exporting to the Middle East and Southeast Asia,” said DP World Maputo CEO Christian Roeder.
