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
