The bulk mineral market has cooled down after a period of soaring prices and high demand, when export capacity struggled to keep pace. Now, as the market stabilises, clients are taking a more cautious approach, according to Norma Wheeler, regional commercial advisor at LBH South Africa and LBH Mozambique.“For service providers, this is a crucial time to refine offerings, boost cost-efficiency in logistics, and explore new infrastructure opportunities,” Wheeler told Freight News.While the mineral market had seen a dip, the agri-bulk market remained robust, with consistent import and export activity, said Wheeler. “To capitalise on this, we’ve launched a new division at our Maputo office, focusing on agricultural commodities like maize and fruit. This sector offers significant growth potential as we expand our focus,” she added, highlighting that LBH had long been a trusted provider of cargo agency and tally monitoring services in ports like Maputo and Durban.“Our independent, proven services allow clients to have local ‘eyes and ears,’ which reassures financiers, buyers, and stakeholders about the integrity of the logistics process. This, coupled with efficient turnaround times for both cargo and vessels, makes our offering invaluable. We are refocusing on making this a cornerstone at all the ports where we operate,” Wheeler said.She pointed out several challenges facing the bulk cargo sector, with rail issues and border crossing delays often among the biggest concerns. “Another issue, less talked about, is the criminal syndicates targeting the minerals sector. It’s not uncommon for cargo to be siphoned en route or for rubble to be delivered instead of minerals. A well-designed logistics channel with checks and balances is crucial to deter theft, underscoring the importance of our tally and monitoring service,” she said.When asked about the sector's outlook, Wheeler expressed optimism about the sector at large, including mineral exports. “In June, we saw over 1.6 million tons of manganese pass through Gqberha, and we’ve also witnessed a general upward trajectory for chrome exports, driven by steady demand for stainless steel in China. While demand for coal in Europe has cooled, India and Southeast Asia continue to drive the market for South African and Mozambican coal, and there’s no sign of this slowing down.”She said the key to boosting bulk volumes lay in the ability to pivot between logistics channels and ports, and to pioneer new routes where none existed before. “Equally important is the ongoing improvement of state-owned entities to better support the minerals and logistics sectors,” she said.
