Communication - Presse
Port handling grew by 12.3% in 2023, led by Maputo
Mozambican ports handled more than 63,000 tons of goods in 2023, an increase of 12.3% compared to 2022. Practically half that traffic passed through Maputo, according to budget execution data that Lusa had access to today.
According to the report from the Ministry of Economy and Finance, this performance contrasts with port handling of 56.1 thousand tons from January to December 2022. Some ports recorded falls last year.
The port of Maputo, the largest in the country, handled more than 31.2 thousand tons of goods, an increase of 16.7% compared to 2022, followed by the port of Nacala-Velha, with 13.8 thousand tons (+20.3%), the port of Beira, with 13.6 thousand tons (-1.3%) and the port of Nacala, with 3,000 tons (+14.9%).
The performance of the ports of Maputo, Nacala and Nacala-Velha “is due to the increased level of handling of fuel, wheat, fertilizers and the increase in demand and the diversion of cargo in other ports”, the report explains.
On the other hand, the “reduction in fuel and magnetite handling production” influenced movement in the port of Beira.
In secondary ports, Topuito handled almost 1,015 tons (-3.9%) in 2023, Pemba 269.5 tons (-18.6%) – due to the “reduction of ships” visiting the port – and Quelimane 17.3 tons (+59.9%).
The Mozambican government said on February 23 of this year that the extension of the Maputo port concession for 25 years, signed that day, would secure gains of more than US$8 billion (€7.3 billion) for the economy.
“With the extension of the concession, we project direct benefits for the national economy, including more than US$8 billion in income, dividends and direct taxes,” deputy minister of Transport and Communications, Amilton Alissone, said after signing the addendum to the port concession contract in favour of the MPDC consortium, which extends the management period of the port of Maputo until April 13, 2058.
Interventions related to the extension of the concession would create more than 1,000 direct jobs and 5,000 indirect jobs, contributing significantly to the country’s socioeconomic development, he said.
A decree approving the extension also approved the terms of the Business Plan for carrying out additional investments “aimed at increasing the cargo handling capacity at the Port of Maputo, with the concessionaire being authorized to carry out additional investments” of US$2,060 million (€1,900 million) in the Port Concession Area.
The Maputo port concessionaire plans to invest US$600 million (€553.4 million euros) in the expansion of port infrastructure over the next three years, the first phase of investment in the addendum to the concession contract.
In an interview with the Lusa agency, the executive director of the Maputo Port Development Society (MPDC), Osório Lucas, explained that this first phase would, in the first three years, increase the capacity of the container terminal from the current 170,000 to 530,000 containers.
“And it will also increase the capacity of the Matola Coal Terminal, from seven million tons per year [mtpa] to 12 million. And our general cargo capacity will increase from 10 million [mtpa] to 13 million, in Phase 1, which will be completed over the next three years,” he detailed.
MPDC expects to reach a cargo handling volume of 50.9 mtpa by 2058, the end of the 25-year contract extension (starting in 2033).
It also estimates, by 2058, an increase in operational capacity from the current 37 mtpa to 54 mtpa and in terminal capacity from 270 to one million containers, with the expansion of the Matola Coal Terminal from 7.5 to 18 mtpa and of the General Cargo Terminal from 9.2 to 13.6 mtpa.
