Shift from Durban to Mozambican ports

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.ŠŠŠŠ Demand is being driven by the new mining projects, as well as infrastructure upgrades. CAPTION Express Consol drivers ready to hit the road.