Port of Maputo dredging begins

The dredging programme that has just got under way at the Port of Maputo will enable it to realise its full growth potential, according to Dave Rennie, CEO of Grindrod Freight Services. This part of the port master plan, he told FTW, was currently restricted by the port’s inability to consistently handle larger vessels – which are forced to wait for favourable tides at the present design depth of 9.4-metres. But the dredging of the access channels, basins and berths now being done by the dredger, TSHD Pallieter, belonging to the Mascarenes Dredging & Management Services, will take between four and six months to complete and will increase the depth to 11-m. “This project will allow the port to handle fully laden Panamax vessels with a gross tonnage of up to 70 000-tonnes,” he said. “This will greatly enhance its attractiveness to potential port users through greater efficiencies, wider market access and improved port accessibility.” It is a joint venture between the Mozambique railways and harbours board, CFM, and Grindrod and DP World – which are the owners of port operating company, Maputo Port Development Company (MPDC). The cost will be recovered through a dredging tariff that is to be levied on port users – and will vary depending on the draft of the vessels. The dredge will remove almost two million cubic metres of material. Mascarenes will be employing a brand new technology to deal with a rock outcrop in one area of the access channel – with a specially-designed disk cutter-head being fitted to the suction unit of the conventional trailer suction hopper dredger (TSHD).