Record volumes of sulphur landed in Walvis Bay and bound for the Copperbelt are helping to make the Walvis Bay-Ndola-Lubumbashi Development Corridor more competitive as they are providing a return load for hauliers bringing copper, cobalt and other high-value commodities to the port.Sulphur is used to extract both copper and cobalt from ores mined in the Zambian and Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).According to consulting firm Roskill, mines typically use 3.5 to 4.5 tons of sulphuric acid for each ton of copper produced.This means there is still capacity going south to Walvis Bay for other exports from the DRC and Zambia. Equipment installed by Manica on a concession in the Port of Walvis Bay can bag commodities like sulphur directly from the vessel. “The volume growth is expected to be supported by the additional sulphur imports in bulk of 130 000 tons per annum allocated for the copper mines in Zambia and the DRC,” says Namport executive: commercial, Tino !Hanabeb. “This will provide a return load of copper from Zambia and DRC that will further increase copper exports from 18 000 to 40 000 tons per month," reads a statement.
