Three FE lines consider direct Maputo call

ALAN PEAT ALTHOUGH THE first deal has fallen through, there is still optimism that Maputo will soon have a direct shipping service with the Far East. In the original deal organised by the Maputo Corridor Logistics Initiative (MCLI), the Scandinavian ship operator, Scans Trans, agreed to quote on a monthly service. But, according to the latest information from the MCLI, the right rates could not be negotiated – and the deal fell through. Now, however, there are three other lines looking at possible Maputo calls on a Far East run, and the rates of at least one were described as “sustainable” by Wendy de Goede of Uti – who is assisting MCLI in their search for more, regular, scheduled services to call at Maputo. It’s been the famous Catch 22 of shipping for some time for Maputo – “if there’s no cargo there are no ships; no ships and there’s no cargo”. It’s been the lack of ships in Maputo’s case. There’s certainly a lot of potential cargo in Mpumalanga and Gauteng looking for a closer and cheaper port than Durban. But, while Maputo has offered the required proximity – it’s less than half the distance of Durban from Mpumulanga and part of Eastern Gauteng – rates have been the problem for containerised cargoes. Bulk cargoes have already started to flow through Maputo as an alternative port. But big packages of bulk cargo quickly attract the bulk charter ships which tramp the seas looking for cargoes. However, guaranteed on-the-spot containerised cargoes have not been offered in sufficient quantities to attract a scheduled liner service into the port as yet – no matter to which trade they were attached. But the cargo volume is there, according to the MCLI – it only requires one of the carriers on a desired trade (like the Far East) to take the chance of opening up the run, and container shippers will eventually flock to the port. The right rates, and the cargo will start to flow, the MCLI concluded.