The gateway for
freight bound for
Mozambique and
its neighbours
continues to shift from
Durban to Maputo,
according to Walter
van Vuuren, head of
outward operations at
Interconnect Logistics.
“Currently the bulk of
consignments entering
the Mozambique market
is shipped via sea
freight, and then into the
Malawi and Zimbabwe
markets. This is causing
a drop in road freight
from Durban port to
Mozambique,” he says.
However, due to a lack of
handling equipment in the
Mozambican ports, the bigger
abnormal consignments are still
being routed via South Africa.
Such is the growth in the
market that Interconnect
will be establishing offices in
Mozambique “in conjunction with
our agents to better co-ordinate
the movement of cargo from
Beira to Malawi, Zimbabwe and
Zambia,” he says.
“We recently established a
business partnership with a new
clearing and forwarding agency,
which is sourcing vast amounts of
cargo from South Africa abroad.
This has kept Interconnect
considerably busy,” he says.
The company has been operating
in Mozambique for more than
seven years, with agents in Maputo,
Manica and Nyamapanda.
Interconnect provides door-todoor
consolidation and full load
services throughout
Mozambique and
neighbouring
countries. There is
a dedicated fleet
of vehicles ranging
from one ton to
28 ton payload
operating in
Mozambique.
It is able
to provide
warehousing,
clearing, transport
and crane hire
services through
established affiliates
in Mozambique.
A new service
being introduced
is express consolidation, which
will see scheduled runs added
to routes not currently being
served.
Demand is being driven by the
new mining projects, as well as
infrastructure upgrades.
CAPTION
Express Consol drivers ready to hit the road.