The Maputo Port Development Company (MPDC) announces its annual volumes for 2024, reporting a total volume of 30.9 million tons handled. While this represents a slight reduction of 1% compared to 2023, the Port of Maputo continued to show resilience and adaptability in the face of significant logistics challenges.
MPDC’s direct operations demonstrated robust growth, handling 14.2 million tons, an increase of 14% from the previous year. Road volumes saw a significant growth, increasing by 11% year-on-year, rising from 9.5 million tons to 10.7 million tons. Rail volumes, which have been a critical focus for MPDC’s sustainability strategy, grew by 7%, from 2.8 million tons to 3.019 million tons. These figures underscore MPDC’s ability to maintain a balanced distribution of transport modes, even amidst the logistical constraints.
The slight decrease in total volumes – all terminals from the Port of Maputo and the Port of Matola – was primarily due to the post-electoral protests and road blockages in the Maputo corrido, including border closure for several days and conditioned border and road operations for more than a month consolidated. The rail corridor from South Africa to Mozambique was also affected by the protests and blockages, paired with a derailment in October/November, which led to a shutdown of the line for a month.
“The Port of Maputo faced a challenging last quarter of the year, but our team’s resilience, coupled with our continued focus on diversification and efficiency, enabled us to maintain strong operational performance overall. The growth in our direct operations and transport volumes is a testament to this effort,” said Osório Lucas, Chief Executive Officer of MPDC.
A key highlight of 2024 was the increase in concession fees paid to the Government of Mozambique, which rose by 12% to $46.8 million, compared to $41.7 million in 2023. This reflects MPDC’s unwavering commitment to contributing to Mozambique’s economic development.
This contribution excludes additional contributions to the State namely from taxes on profits and dividends to its shareholder, Caminhos-de-Ferro de Moçambique (CFM).
Looking ahead, 2025 will see the commencement of the major expansion projects at the Port of Maputo, including the much-anticipated expansion of the container terminal and the coal terminal, both of which are set to begin during the first semester. These projects are 2 main pillars of the concession’s extension granted in the beginning of 2024, and represent a strategic investment in the Port’s future growth, ensuring it remains a key driver of trade and logistics in the region.
