Port of Beira achieves 31% increase in containers

THE PORT of Beira recorded a 31% increase in container volumes last year despite the economic meltdown in Zimbabwe, its biggest market. According to spokesman Felix Machado, an intensive marketing drive in Malawi, Zambia and the DRC paid dividends. “There was a slight increase of 7% in the overall traffic handled, from 1 848 655 metric tonnes in 2006 to 1 9 83 365 in 2007. Containerised cargo registered the biggest gains with a record 71 167 TEUs handled in 2007 compared to 52 385 in 2006.