‘Significant’ improvement in Maputo productivity

There have been significant improvements in productivity in the port of Maputo on both the land and sea-ward sides of the operation, according to Junaid Zamir, DP World general manager in the port of Maputo. Speaking at the annual Port of Maputo Conference earlier in 2013, he said average vessel waiting time has been reduced from 44.4 hours in 2010 to 5.7 hours in 2012. Port users interviewed by FTW confirm that vessels are moving in and out smoothly. Gross crane moves per hour have increased from 7.6 in 2010 to 12.6 in 2012. Vessel berth moves per hour (BMPH) have improved from 9.3 to 21.1. On the land-side, gate truck turnaround time has dropped from 64.3 to 27.4 minutes. He said these improvements were due to investments in both training and equipment. “To service our customers DP World has invested heavily in training and development of local staff, and deployed a state of the art terminal operating system and shore/land side equipment,” he said. Expansion plans in order to cater for up to 250 000 TEUs per year include refurbishing the apron and yard, establishing a rail handling area, and investment in rubber tyred gantries. Design engineers have been appointed, and the first phase is expected to be completed by September 2014, he told the conference. The phased expansion will see capacity increased to a million TEUs a year, with a total berth length of 1.2 kilometres served by up to 12 ship to shore cranes and a 50 hectare container park. Rail capacity will also be upgraded. CAPTION Artist's impression