The Port of Nacala, located in the province of Nampula, northern Mozambique, expects to reach record levels by handling a total of 3.5 million tonnes of various types of cargo by December this year.
The director of the infrastructure, Nelmo Induna, described how the port is constantly developing in order to meet the ever-growing needs imposed by the international market, revealing that 1.8 million tonnes of cargo had already been handled by July 2024.
“The deep-water infrastructure, which goes up to 14 metres, allowing the flow of products and boosting the economy of countries in various countries, is increasingly opening up to the world, as a result of its efficiency in handling cargo,” he said.
Induna emphasised that Malawi and Zambia are the countries that benefit most from the Port of Nacala, placing Mozambique as a strategic provider of rail-port services.
“The deep-water infrastructure, which goes up to 14 metres, allowing the flow of products and boosting the economy of countries in various countries, is increasingly opening up to the world, as a result of its efficiency in handling cargo”
Last year, the port set a record by handling 3.1 million tonnes of various types of cargo. At the time, he said that the positive results were linked to the rehabilitation and modernisation of the infrastructure.
“In 2023, we handled 3.1 million tonnes, which is the record ever handled at the port of Nacala. This overall figure represents 103% of what was planned for last year,” said Naimo Induna.
The director explained that the modernisation and rehabilitation of the infrastructure’s three terminals have opened up new prospects, at a time when more regional operators are looking for alternatives to the pressure on the ports of Durban and Richards Bay in South Africa.
“The Port of Nacala has the capacity to handle 10 million tonnes of cargo a year, and its privileged geographical location opens the way to feed the markets of the Middle East and Asia,” he argued.
The rehabilitation of the infrastructure, inaugurated in October by head of state Filipe Nyusi, cost more than 250 million euros, financed by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).
The public company Portos e Caminhos-de-Ferro de Moçambique (CFM) took over management of the port in January 2020, when the concession to Corredor de Desenvolvimento do Norte (CDN), a public limited company that had been operating the infrastructure since 2005, came to an end.
