'Ships designed for Africa' come into their own

Ro-ro vessels which can independently load and discharge cargo in any port with sufficient draught and quay length are helping the economies of Mozambique and its neighbours to grow, according to Captain Jai Misra, managing director of Messina Mozambique. Messina’s modern f leet of versatile ro-ro vessels is proving ideal for the handling of project cargo, out of gauge and heavy “awkward cargo”. “These are ships designed for Africa,” he says, pointing out that Messina Lines has been operating in the region for 93 years. Vessels brought into service in 2011 are “the largest ro-ro ships in the world. They can carry anything,” he says. The multimodal vessels can handle individual loads of up to 100 tons. One example of their versatility is that Messina vessels are carrying 25-ton granite blocks, with the vessels doing all the handling themselves – along with containers, vehicles and other cargo. They are also able to move containers in and out of ports without quayside handling equipment. This means that they act independently of the port operations and are able to continue working even when the container cranes are all busy – provided there is suitable quay space available elsewhere in the port. With five decks below the weather deck, the vessels are also ideal for the movement of cars, trucks and other vehicles. “We serve a number of niche markets,” says Misra. Messina has 24 scheduled calls a year on Maputo and Nacala through its Red Sea/East- South Africa service. It links Mozambican exporters to Durban, as well as to Tanzania, Kenya, the Middle East, Europe and India. Messina line is also accepting cabotage containers and ro-ro units from Maputo to Nacala. INSERT & CAPTION Messina vessels are carrying 25-ton granite blocks, with the vessels doing all the handling themselves. – Captain Jai Misra