Mozambique: Government seeks effective implementation of coastal shipping

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Mozambique: Government seeks effective implementation of coastal shipping

3:16 CAT | 12 Dec 2022

FILE - For illustration purposes only. [File photo: Notícias]

The government has challenged the Maritime Transport Institute (ITRANSMAR) to introduce reforms in the marine area with a view to achieving the effective implementation of coastal shipping (cabotage).

The challenge was delivered in Maputo on Friday by the permanent secretary of the Ministry of Transport and Communications, Dina Ribeiro, as part of the celebrations of the International Maritime Day, celebrated under the motto “’New Technologies For Greener Shipping”.

Internal maritime transport of goods was relaunched in June, 2020, when the first two ships chartered for this purpose were publicly presented. However, cabotage has proved to be unsustainable in the national market, mainly due to the Maritime Navigation Law, which obliges shipping operators to use tugboats in each port they dock.

In this context, according to Dina Ribeiro, it is up to ITRANSMAR, together with sector operators, in coordination with relevant national and international partners, to lead the necessary reforms.

The idea is that the reforms guarantee the provision of logistical support services to projects for the exploitation of natural resources at sea, and provide regular and safe maritime transport on the main crossings and maritime routes in the country.

“In Mozambique, our logistics chain is still dominated by road transport. The vision is to reverse this situation by giving priority to maritime and rail transport, in recognition of the advantages that these modes offer, both in terms of costs and in terms of preserving the environment,” Dina Ribeiro said.

According to Ribeiro, maritime transport plays a fundamental role, being responsible for handling around 90 percent of the cargo transported and marketed in the world.

The revitalization of cabotage is a government initiative included in the government’s 2020-2024 Five-Year Program, with the aim of reducing the costs of transporting goods, with an impact on prices for the final consumer, boosting agricultural sales, particularly with regard to the flow of cereals produced in the various regions to the main markets in the country.

Source: Notícias