Bulk carriers no longer need to go from Maputo to Richards Bay to top up thanks to the dredging of the channel into the Maputo port.
In December 2016 the MV Mineral Belgium made history as the first fully-laden 90 000 ton vessel to sail out of the mineral terminal.
"Being able to have ships of this size calling at the port of Maputo means that we will become more competitive and that these ships will be able to make a direct stopover without having to go to other ports in the region such as Durban and Richard's Bay,” said transport and communications minister Carlos Mesquita.
"This is an important milestone for the Port of Maputo as it is the first vessel to load more than 80 000 tons, something that six months ago was only a dream. Today we are dreaming bigger and our next goal is to load a vessel with 100 000 tons," said Osório Lucas, CEO of the Maputo Port Development Company (MPDC).
The vessel, with a draught of 11.4 metres, is 289 metres long and has a beam of 45 metres. It is also the vessel with the most hatches ever to have docked in the port (a total of nine).
The approach channel to the port of Maputo is being deepened from -11 meters to -14.2. Work started in May and is scheduled to be completed this month.
