Maputo, Jan. 28, 2025 (Lusa) - The expansion work on the Maputo port container terminal, which started this week, will cost US$164 million (€156 million), increase the quay to 650 metres and receive ships of up to 366 metres.
According to a joint statement issued by DP World and the concessionaire Sociedade de Desenvolvimento do Porto de Maputo (MPDC), work on the first phase of the expansion began on Monday and will take place over two years, including the expansion of the container storage yard to 6.48 hectares and the construction of an additional 400 metres of quay, bringing the total to 650 metres at this stage.
The expansion also involves deepening the quay's draft from 12 metres to 16 metres, allowing the terminal to accommodate the new post-Panamax class ships of up to 366 metres in total length.
The concessionaire adds that the work marks the start of "the first phase of an ambitious plan to increase the terminal's capacity" from the current 255,000 TEUs (twenty-foot equivalent units) to 530,000 TEUs per year.
In addition, it says, more than 700 sockets will be installed for refrigerated containers, to leverage the growth of agricultural exports, "particularly citrus fruits from Limpopo, in South Africa, and Massingir, in Mozambique".
"For more than 20 years, DP World [MPDC's shareholder] has proudly operated in Mozambique, which has become a vital centre for regional trade. Our ongoing investments will bring substantial value, changing the maritime transport landscape on the east coast of Africa, and reinforcing Mozambique's position as a key gateway for cargo movement throughout the region," said DP World's managing director in sub-Saharan Africa, Mohammed Akoojee, quoted in the statement.
MPDC's executive director, Osório Lucas, said that the expansion of the container terminal "is the first major milestone in the Port's strategic vision for the coming years" and also represents "a significant step in strengthening the Port of Maputo's position as a leading logistics platform in southern Africa".
According to the concessionaire, the deepening of the quay and the expansion of the infrastructure will allow the port of the Mozambican capital to receive larger ships, "gaining competitiveness in the region and positioning Maputo as an ideal transhipment centre in the region by 2026".
"This modernisation will not only increase the terminal's operational efficiency but will also make freight rates more competitive, directly benefiting Mozambican exporters and logistics operators," the company stresses, guaranteeing that it will also allow mineral and agricultural exports to be boosted, logistics costs to be reduced and new direct and indirect jobs to be created.
The concession of the port of Maputo to MPDC will run until 13 April 2058, according to the terms of the addendum to the contract, approved by decree of the Mozambican government published in April, and the concessionaire plans to invest US$600 million (€571 million) in the expansion of the port infrastructure in the first three years.
MPDC is a private Mozambican company that resulted from a partnership between CFM and Portus Indico, which is made up of Grindrod, DP World and Mozambique Gestores.
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