Mozambique: Manager at Beira port concerned about fuel crisis in the country

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Mozambique: Manager at Beira port concerned about fuel crisis in the country

1:40 CAT | 23 May 2025

FILE - For lustration purposes only. [File photo: Lusa]

The operator of the Beira port terminal warns that the fuel crisis that has affected Mozambique, particularly that city itself, threatens to compromise maritime and cargo handling services.

“The fuel issue is a situation that, to a certain extent, worries us. If it is not resolved, it could create some constraints for the [Beira corridor, which connects to several hinterland African countries] and within Mozambique in general,” director of operations at Cornelder Mozambique Miguel de Gengam said on Thursday.

Miguel de Gengam told journalists that, although the outlook for 2025 is positive, with around 400,000 containers and five million [tons] of general cargo expected to be handled at the port, there are risks, such as difficulty in accessing fuel and foreign currency, which could impact the economic outlook.

The fuel shortage has been attributed to a lack of foreign currency, making it difficult for gas stations to issue bank guarantees for the purchase of fuel.

The problem is also affecting maritime services and cargo handling, including the plan for cargo ships to utilise the port of Beira, one of Mozambique’s main ports.

“The outlook for 2025 is very good, it is healthy and we hope that if we can resolve the fuel and foreign exchange issues as a country, we will be on the right track. As you know, fuel is the driver of development and this can impact our volumes, it can impact the country’s foreign exchange, it can impact the raw materials that the country needs,” Miguel de Gengam also stressed.

The Mozambican government stated on April 11 that fuel reserves were secure and that the shortage in several parts of the country was due to problems with distributors’ bank guarantees.

“We have fuel available in Mozambique. What is lacking is the fuel reaching the citizens, but for this there is an intermediary, which is the suppliers,” government spokesperson Inocêncio Impissa told journalists.

In recent weeks, there have been difficulties in the supply of fuel in several parts of the country, with some gas stations seeing huge queues and others without gasoline or diesel.

The government spokesperson insisted that the fuel situation “has been stable”, with a “regular supply of the product available on the market, particularly in port warehouses”.

The “apparent lack of fuel at gas stations”, Impissa added, “is more related to logistical and administrative issues involving distributors and their banks”.

“The solution (…) involves efficient management of bank guarantees by distributors and improved communication and coordination between the parties involved, including distributors, banks and customs authorities,” he said.

Source: Lusa