Mozambique’s Maputo port began construction on the first phase of its planned $2 billion expansion project on Monday, a senior port official said.
The $164 million first phase will more than double the container terminal’s capacity from the current 255,000 twenty foot equivalent units (TEUs) a year to 530,000 TEUs when completed in the next two years.
Significance of the Port of Maputo Expansion
This expansion project aims to position the Port of Maputo as a major regional shipment hub. Currently, the port is already handling the increased volumes as logistics bottlenecks in neighbouring South Africa force commodity exporters to seek alternative routes.
Details of the First Phase of the Maputo Port Expansion
The infrastructure upgrades that will be undertaken in the first phase will entail extending the quay by 400 meters to 650 meters. Additionally, there will be deepening of the berth draft to 16 meters in order to accommodate the larger ships. This information was revealed by Osorio Lucas, who is the chief executive operator Maputo Port Development Company (MPDC).
The MPDC is a consortium that comprises of multinational logistics companies. These companies are DP World, South Africa’s Grindrod, and lastly the state-owned Mozambique rail operator Caminhos de Ferro de Moçambique.
After a slight dip in exports in the face of civil unrest in Mozambique after disputed elections last year, Lucas said the company expected operations to pick up next month.
