Scoring a significant coup for the Beira Corridor, the first breakbulk copper shipment from Beira in three decades has been moved successfully.According to Cornelder de Moçambique’s commercial director, Miguel de Jenga, 15 000 million tons of copper cathodes were loaded between September 30 and October 5, with the vessel leaving the port in the early hours of October 6.“It was a very successful operation, handled by ourselves along with the cargo agent Access World and the vessel agent Terra Mar Logistics, proving breakbulk shipments are an effective alternative to container shipping of copper out of Beira,” he told Freight News. De Jenga said there had been a continued surge in demand for copper exports out of the hinterland. “In the 2018/19 financial year there was a 42% increase in copper from Zambia and a staggering 700% increase from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). This saw the port handle over 270 000 million tons of copper that year. The trend was consistent, and in 2020 exports from the DRC increased by 116%, while Zambia grew by 88%, and total copper handled exceeded 500 000 million tons.”But, said De Jenga, these volumes were all shipped in containers. “Supply chain interruptions experienced globally due to Covid-related lockdowns have caused delayed container vessel schedules and container shortages, thereby hampering copper supply chains globally. The Beira route was not spared this.”He said this had negatively impacted the throughput of copper from the hinterland by over 50%, at a time when the international commodity price of copper was increasing and stood to benefit the hinterland economies significantly. “As such, the port and corridor members have taken the important step of reintroducing breakbulk copper shipment from Beira almost two decades after having shifted to containers. The first shipment in October was very successful and is hopefully the first of many.”According to De Jenga, safety was a primary concern and the operation was completed without injuries or compromise to cargo integrity. The port maintained the same high-level security protocols for copper handled in containers as it did for the breakbulk cargo. “The Port of Beira and the Beira Corridor cargo logistics service providers are committed to maximising the potential of breakbulk shipping to alleviate the current container shipping crisis, and will continue to offer this solution to valued clients of the corridor.
