A consortium is set to manage Mozambique’s Maputo port for the next 15 years, paving the way for companies such as BMW SA to use the port for their export programmes.
A consortium is set to manage Mozambique’s Maputo port for the next 15 years, paving the way for companies such as BMW SA to utilise the port for their export programmes.
The Mozambique government’s concession to the Maputo Port Development Company (MPDC) will come into effect on April 14.
CARtoday.com quoted BMW SA managing director Ian Robertson as saying that congestion at to SA’s main ports have led the Rosslyn-based company to consider using the Maputo facility.
However, BMW SA and indeed most companies would only utilise Maputo if productivity of the operation was stepped up and if facilities and infrastructure in and around the port were improved, reported on Tuesday.
The MPDC said it would commence with a R560-million upgrade programme which was already guaranteed by the private sector investors immediately after the takeover next month.
MPDC head Alec Don was quoted as saying that throughput at the harbour could be raised to about 15-million tons from the current four million tons over the next few years.
Improvements at the port over the next three years would include the introduction of new tugs, construction of a new port entrance linking to the N4 highway, the purchase of new material handling equipment, and the upgrade of roads, among other things.
The railway line between South Africa and Mozambique will get a R200-million upgrade after rail utility Spoornet was awarded a concession to operate the line earlier this year.
