The demonstrations called by the Podemos presidential candidate, Venâncio Mondlane, are having a negative impact on the logistics flow at the Port of Beira, since its biggest users – the countries of the hinterland (Malawi, Zambia and Zimbabwe, countries with no connection to the sea, which is why they use the Mozambican corridors of Nacala and Beira to export and import goods) – are being very cautious to avoid losses.
According to Cornelder de Moçambique, operator of the Beira Port Terminal, an average of 700 lorries are handled every day. However, when there are demonstrations the movement drops to less than half.
‘Many companies are cautious, so yesterday there were only a small number of lorries circulating, and during the days of the demonstrations the traffic flow reduced a lot. So when they were secured, we had 2,000 lorries wanting to enter the port at the same time, and on some days we received 80 lorries an hour,’ said Jean de Vries, managing director of Cornelder Mozambique.
As Mozambique’s second largest port, the Port of Beira is a key driver of the country’s economy and an important gateway for trade with countries in the region. The reduction in traffic flow worries Cornelder.
‘It’s not easy to quantify the damage, but ships are slower because of the congestion of lorries. Ships that depend on this transport are at a standstill, which causes a lot of problems in the flow of logistics,’ said Jean de Vries.
The demonstrations are also having an impact on the measures taken to put an end to the congestion of lorries at the entrance to the Port of Beira.
‘With the demonstrations, it’s difficult to measure the real impact on the one-way road, because we have very quiet days,’ he added.
O País
