Storage facilities for transit vehicles save clients money

With the Maputo car terminal making it clear that it does not have space for vehicle storage, Projecto Despachante and Freight Forwarding (MPD) has stepped into the gap by providing storage facilities for vehicles that have cleared customs. Importers of trucks and cars from neighbouring countries are then allowed more time to fetch their vehicles, says business development executive Givemore Gurie. “We have a yard where we currently keep our client vehicles if we realise the client may arrive in Maputo after the expiry of the 10 free days in the cargo terminal, and the client has given us express right to collect the vehicle on their behalf,” says cofounder Paulo Maculuve. “We offer this service for free,” he says. This results in considerable savings for the importers, adds Gurie. MPD handles cargo clearance for clients in South Africa, Swaziland, Zimbabwe, Malawi, Zambia, Democratic Republic of Congo “and the world at large”. MPD also offers general warehousing facilities for its clients – particularly those from neighbouring countries. “We are transit specialists, with vehicles making up around 30% of our business,” says Gurie. Maculuve spends most of his time in the port of Maputo ensuring that vehicles and cargo are cleared as speedily as possible. The company also has offices in Beira, in order to cater for cargo in transit to landlocked SADC countries, according to Maculuve, who founded the company with marketing head Namoto Chipande in 2003. “Beira has the propensity to grow as the terminal is being deepened. Maputo may end up being the second largest port in Mozambique after Beira, as more and more clients will switch over to Beira because of its proximity to landlocked SADC countries,” he says.