‘Private enterprise must work with rail on coal transport’

If the coal terminals in Maputo are ever to reach full capacity it is important that private enterprise engage and work with the Mozambican railways, says Pieter Venter, general manager of Grindrod Mozambique. Having just opened a brand new coal terminal at the Port of Maputo, while upgrading its first coal terminal to a capacity of about 6 million tons of coal per annum, Grindrod has been engaging with both CFM and Transnet Freight Rail (TFR). “Our entire coal facility is dependent on rail connectivity, not just along the corridor from the coalfields in South Africa, but also up to the time wagons are tippled and the coal stockpiled. As we are currently in phase 3 of our expansion plan for the Matola coal terminal – that will see it grow from a facility handling about two million tons of coal currently to one that handles six million tonnes – it is important that we know we have sufficient rolling stock capacity and commitment from all the role-players.” Venter says both CFM and TFR have embraced the coal terminal expansion projects. “It makes commercial sense for the mines from the Witbank and Phalaborwa areas in South Africa to use the Port of Maputo. It is a simple calculation to make – Phalaborwa to Richards Bay or Phalaborwa to Maputo.” And with the Port of Maputo developing at its current rate, it will be able to handle any cargo thrown its way. “This is also one of the ports where there still is scope for expansion and where congestion is not holding up cargo,” says Venter. “We have dedicated berths and can therefore provide flexible solutions to our clients. We are working hard to improve terminal efficiency and loadout productivity is improving all the time.” He says that once Grindrod took the decision to invest in Mozambique, it committed to the port and was aware that it was not a short-term plan. “We are here for the long haul and we believe that as we are still relatively new participants, we can offer our clients flexibility. We are able to tailor our service to the customers’ needs. There is no doubt we are serious about what we are doing in Mozambique.”