The Port of Maputo’s concessionaire is on track to record throughput figures 18% higher than last year, an improvement that in real terms means the port will have handled 3.7 million tonnes more than in 2021.
Last year Maputo Port Development Company (MPDC) handled 22.3m tonnes.
This year that figure is heading towards 26m tonnes.
According to MPDC executive director Osório Lucas, the demand for coal in Europe, no doubt driven higher by the crisis in Ukraine and related energy pressures, was the main driver of increased volume exiting through the port.
In addition to the spike in coal loads, magnetite and ferrochrome made up 18 million tonnes shipped through Maputo this year.
A large contributor to the rise in ore volume heading to the port, Lucas said, was an increase in railed cargo.
As a result of more efficient use of available capacity, rail freight to the port increased from 1.2m tonnes to 2.5m – an improvement of more than 100%.
