Maputo Port growth continues apace

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Maputo Port growth continues apace

12:11 CAT | 07 Jul 2017

Maputo Port is now capable of receiving ships of 85,000 tons, its access channel having been dredged to a depth of 14 metres, Grindrod operations manager Paulo Poh-Quong told those attending the completion ceremony on Thursday.

Speaking to the press at loading of the first Panamax ship in the province, Poh-Quong said the port would now have the capacity to handle more than 500,000 tons of cargo per month.

“The port already has the capacity to handle 7.5 million tons of cargo annually, and when work is completed, will be able to handle nine million tons annually,” he said.

Poh-Quong noted that the port was well positioned geographically “because the South African mines are very close to us and customers will certainly prefer our terminal”.

The Maputo Port Development Company (MPDC) has invested US$800 million since 2003 increasing the capacity and efficiency at the port.

The Matola Coal Terminal (TCM) is the first port terminal to take full advantage of the dredging initiative with its Expansion and Deepening Pier project, which includes the rehabilitation and lengthening of the quay by 8.5 metres.

Its large ship loader has also been modified, and an engineering study is currently underway to assess improvement to the company’s second loader, with modifications pencilled in for the second half of the year.

“Among the items installed in the Matola Coal Terminal is a new defensive support structure and defensive system that extends the existing dock as a result of deepening the mooring zone of the ship,” a press release cited by AIM reads.

Source: AIM Moçambique