A total of 1058 meters of berthing area (composed by berths 6, 7, 8 and 9) were inaugurated this last Wednesday by the President of Mozambique, Filipe Jacinto Nyusi.
The berths, rehabilitated, expanded and dredged to depths of up to -16 meters, are now fully operational and will allow the port of receive and load an increasing number of bigger vessels (capesize).
In its inaugural speech, the President said that “With this increase, there will be more revenue and income for Mozambicans. In the specific case of this infrastructure, associated with the Port of Maputo, it is a strategic intention that it contributes significantly to adding value to the business”.
On the same event, the CEO of Maputo Port Development Company, Osório Lucas affirmed “These berths are a fundamental pillar for the implementation of the master plan launched in 2010 and approved by the Government of Mozambique; they are also the ties of the new master plan that we presented publicly yesterday at our Conference.”
In fact, preceding the berth inauguration, MPDC held the 7th Conference of the Port of Maputo, presenting the future of the port up to and beyond 2043. Some of the planned investments are:
• Creation of a food terminal (grains, sugar, vegetable oils, molasses)
• Expansion of the container terminal
• Expansion of the intermodal container terminal (MICD)
• Expanding TCM capacity to 12 MTPA
Osório Lucas reinforced that it is important to align investment throughout the corridor. “We will continue to work with CFM and Transnet to achieve a better balance between road and rail freight, promoting an integrated development that will further enhance the corridor’s growth.”
The vision for the future of the port considers the fundamental principles of port planning in its interaction with the city, port efficiency and sustainable development.
