Multinational commodities trader, Trafigura, has announced that Angola has received its first vessel alongside the minerals terminal at the Port of Lobito, widely anticipated to change bimodal logistics serving the Copperbelt in Zambia and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
According to Trafigura, the MV Lindsaylou, a bulk cargo vessel loaded with 40 500 tonnes of sulphur, docked on July 12, marking the beginning of port operations for the Lobito Atlantic Railway (LAR), the concession holder for operation, management and maintenance of the pit-to-port rail link.
The vessel was loaded in Qatar and arrived in Lobito after a month-long journey.
The unloading and storage of the cargo is being carried out entirely with local labour and equipment sourced from Angola.
Unloading operations are following required environmental and safety procedures, including the use of two automatic hoppers designed and manufactured in Angola.
The cargo, first stored at the mineral terminal in bags, will then be placed on LAR international cargo trains bound for the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) to support refined copper production by mining companies based in the Katanga area.
Francisco Franca, president of LAR’s Board of Directors, said the arrival of the Lindsaylou marked the final step in bringing together all the logistics required to operationalise and develop the line to its full potential.
“LAR re-affirms its commitment to the most important logistics corridor in the region and to increasing the volumes of railway and port operations to achieve the strategic objectives of the Government of Angola in this important corridor of regional economic development.”
The LAR's port operations comes after rehabilitation work was carried out following the start of railway operations in January this year.
These works have so far allowed the circulation of 1800 trains, including passenger and freight trains (national and international), with two international freight trains each week travelling from the DRC to the Port of Lobito and around 50 domestic freight trains each month.
It is expected that in the future, after the planned investments have been made, six international freight trains will be in transit each day.
The project to refurbish the railway line represents an investment of more than $800 million over the lifetime of the concession.
The investment will enable the renovation of sections of the railway line and associated infrastructure, in addition to investment for wagons and locomotives.
A financing package, which includes a potential investment by the US International Development Finance Corporation, is currently under discussion.
LAR has already started investment with the purchase of rolling stock and the start of maintenance work on the existing line.
Currently, more than 650 workers are employed by the consortium, focused on maintenance and improvement operations on the line from Lobito to Luau at the DRC border and on the mineral terminal.
