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.