Providing shipping lines with a new regional gateway

31 Mar 2017 - by Staff reporter

Upgrades to the DP

World container

facility – together

with the dredging

of the approach channel,

quays and turning basins –

provides shipping lines with a

new regional transit hub, says

Tejas Nataraj, chief executive

officer of DP World Maputo.

“In order to provide the

trade with another gateway

option we are in the process

of developing the capability

to handle mainline vessels

that will connect the regional

hinterland to markets in the

Far East/China, East coast

of USA, Mediterranean

and North Europe and the

Middle East.

“To support these strings

we are also planning on

regular feeders to all the

major ports on the east and

west coasts of Africa”.

Investment in rail

will provide land-side

connections to the

hinterland, with a new siding

due to be completed by June

this year, he says.

Ongoing investment in

the port of Maputo, which

includes the dredging of the

channel and the addition of

night-time navigation aids

to enable 24-hour access to

the port, will attract shipping

lines back to the port, he

believes.

“Ports in the region,

including other ports in

Mozambique, have limited

draught.

“With the investment

in the Maputo container

terminal DP World will be

able to serve as a termination

point, with smaller feeders

serving other shallower and

perhaps more congested

ports on the east and west

coasts of Africa,” he says.

DP World’s immediate

target is a greater share of

the 1.5-2 million TEUs which

are in a catchment area that

is closer to Maputo than

Durban or Richards Bay.

Despite this geographic

advantage Maputo only

handled around 4% (or

100 000 TEUs) of the target

market in 2016, he says.

The port operator is now

“aggressively” tackling the

market.

Upgrades include the

acquisition of additional

rubber tyred gantries and

upgrades to the terminal.

Additional space has been

acquired for the terminal,

which will occupy 20

hectares and have 2 400

ground slots, including

200 reefer points by

December 2018.

Three super post Panamax

quay cranes will be deployed

by mid-2018.

By June this year the

landside terminal capacity

will have been increased to

0.35 million TEUs a year,

and this will be increased to

0.8 million by 2022.

Plans could be brought

forward if there is sufficient

demand, he says.

CAPTION

Upgrades include the acquisition of additional rubber tyred gantries.