Nacala Port surpasses cargo handling goal in Q1

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Nacala Port surpasses cargo handling goal in Q1

2:41 CAT | 30 Apr 2019

File photo: Macauhub

January, February and March this year were good months for the Port of Nacala. The business increased for companies as a result of the growth of cargo handling from 346,000 metric tons in the same period of last year to more than 510,000 metric tons in 2019.

The volume of cargo handled in the first three months of this year was also better than planned. According to a press release sent to ‘O País’, the Port of Nacala expected to handle 452,000 tons, but accomplished 13% more than that figure.

The remarkable performance is explained by the Port of Nacala as a result of the mooring of more ships than forecast during the first quarter of this year. According to the press release, from January to March this year, 73 ships were moored in Nacala Port.

For more details, our reporter contacted the Northern Development Corridor and found out that in the first three months of 2018, the Port of Nacala received 56 ships. And for the first quarter of 2019, it expected to receive 55 ships, a target surpassed by 33%.

In the telephone conversation, our reporter also found that what contributed even more to the positive results is that Nacala Port received more laden ships. In previous situations, it received unladen ships, but which did not help in the results.

Containerised cargo has also seen an improvement. 18,754 TEUs of containers were handled in the period in question, against 15,131 TEUs in the same period of last year, representing an increase of 24%.

TEU is a standard measure used to calculate the volume of a container. TEU (Twenty Foot Equivalent Unit) is the unit used to express the capacity of a container ship or terminal, and the statistics of the container transit in a port.

The recent acquisition of a mobile dock with a 124-ton lift capacity by the Northern Development Corridor, the entity responsible for port management, could double container handling capacity.

“We are investing in equipment and skilled labour to meet the demand, in order to make the port even more sustainable and competitive,” port director Mário Moura states in the press release.

By Clemêncio Fijamo

Source: O País