Mozambique: Slight decline in traffic through Maputo port in 2024

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Mozambique: Slight decline in traffic through Maputo port in 2024

6:02 CAT | 21 Jan 2025

File photo: Maputo Port

Despite the huge disruptions of December, the port of Maputo handled 30.9 million tonnes of goods in 2024.

According to the annual report released by the Maputo Port Development Company (MPDC), this was a reduction of about one per cent when compared with the results from 2023.

The direct operations of the MPDC showed an increase of 14 per cent, rising to 14.2 million tonnes. Road traffic rose by 11 per cent, from 9.5 million tonnes in 2023 to 10.7 million tonnes in 2024. Rail traffic rose by seven per cent, from 2.8 million tonnes to slightly more than three million tonnes.

“These figures highlight the capacity of the MPDC to maintain a balanced distribution between the modes of transport, despite the logistical constraints”, said the report.

The overall reduction in the amounts handled in the Maputo and Matola port terminals was mainly due to the post-election unrest, said the MPDC, which included rioters blocking the roads leading to the port, and closing the frontier for several days.

The South Africa-Mozambique railway was also affected by the blockades and by a major derailment which closed the line for a month.

The final quarter of the year was “challenging”, the MPDC admitted, but “the resilience of our team, together with our continued focus on diversification and efficiency, allowed us to maintain a strong operational performance”.

The revenue paid to the state in concession fees rose by 12 per cent, from 41.7 million US dollars in 2023 to 46.8 million dollars in 2024. This, the report said, reflects “the unshakeable commitment of the MPDC to contributing to the economic development of Mozambique”.

This contribution does not include additional revenue for the State, from taxes on profits, and from the dividends paid by the MPDC to its main shareholder, the publicly owned port and rail company, CFM.

The report pledged that, in 2025, major expansion projects will begin in the port, including expansion of the container terminal and of the coal terminal. Expanding these two terminals were key justifications for the extension of the MPDC concession granted last year.

“They represent a strategic investment in the future growth of the port”, said the report, “ensuring that it continues to be an essential engine of trade and logistics in the region”.

Source: AIM