US$19 million worth of new equipment for Maputo

Productivity is set to increase in the port of Maputo following the commissioning of US$19 million worth of new operational equipment for the export of minerals. "In addition to the two mobile harbour cranes, we have recently acquired 14 payloaders, eight tractors, eight forklifts and two rail excavators (for wagon unloading operations),” says Maputo Port Development Company (MPDC) chief operations officer, Marla Calado. The new fleet will allow MPDC to work faster on larger capesize bulk vessels which have been calling on the port with increasing frequency since the dredging of the access channel, which was completed in January 2017. "Our turnaround times have been improving (and are often faster than in the region). We
believe this new equipment will enable us to further increase our operational efficiency, our competitiveness and our volumes in terms of cargo handling," says Calado. Operators and technicians have been trained on the equipment, and there are maintenance contracts in place with the manufacturers to ensure greater reliability and
availability of the equipment. MPDC expects mineral export volumes to grow further during the year with the completion of rehabilitation work on berths 6, 7, 8 and 9 by the final quarter of 2019. They are being dredged to -15 metres, and the mooring area is being lengthened to cater for longer or additional vessels.