President Filipe Nyusi on 11 May inaugurated quays 6, 7, 8 and 9 at Maputo port, which have been rehabilitated and expanded to receive larger vessels. At the ceremony, President Nyusi called for an integrated vision of port, rail, and road structures to attract more cargo.
Much of the work on the four quays consisted of dredging. The depth at quays 6, 7 and 8 is now 16 metres compared to the previous 12 metres, while at quay 9 the dredging has taken the depth from nine metres to 15 metres. This will allow ships of up to 140,000 tonnes to dock at these quays. The cost of the rehabilitation was US$80 million.
This is just the start, according to the body that operates the port, the Maputo Port Development Company (MPDC), which envisages investments of US$1.1 billion which will increase the amount of cargo handled annually from the 2021 figure of 22.3 million tonnes to 54 million tonnes by 2043.
President Nyusi was optimistic that the expansion of the port will create more jobs and investment opportunities and bring in more tax revenue for the state. He called for digital modernisation of the Port with technological solutions to increase efficiency and reduce costs, resulting in the quicker processing of merchandise.
The President regarded the newly expanded quays as an opportunity to switch cargo from roads to rail. He wanted the Mozambican rail company, CFM, to work closely with the Port of Maputo to reduce pressure on the roads leading to the Port, and to attract more cargo to make the most of the MPDC investments. “You know very well that there is a long line of trucks from Ressano Garcia (on the South African border) to the port of Maputo, at the end of every year, he added. He wanted to see much of that cargo reach the port by rail.