TNPA hints at collaboration with Uganda and Tanzania

Transnet Ports Authority has hinted at collaboration with ports in Uganda and Tanzania following the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Maputo Port Development Company (MPDC) in Johannesburg last week. TNPA chief executive Tau Morwe told FTW on the sidelines of the official signing that further deals with other sub-Saharan ports were on the cards. The MoU with MPDC will facilitate economic growth, skills development and knowledge sharing between the two organisations, he said. The 40th anniversary of the Port Management Association of East and Southern Africa (Pmaesa) this year provided the perfect platform for furthering regional port co-operation, he added. The MPDC is a new member of the association and will also look at strengthening relationships with other ports, said chief executive Osario Lucas. “We recognise that there will always be an element of commercial competitiveness but we are also aware that we can be far more cost-efficient through collaboration. For example, instead of going to the expense of creating additional infrastructure at the port, it would be great to have the option of re-directing cargo to the Port of Richards Bay for example, where they already have the infrastructure,” he said. Lucas added that shared knowledge and experience could also prove invaluable. “Some training and development programmes have already been undertaken between the two companies,” said Morwe. INSERTS AND CAPTIONS Facilitating economic growth, skills development and knowledge sharing – Tau Morwe We can be far more cost-efficient through collaboration – Osario Lucas