The Maritime Transport Institute (ITRASMAR) has suspended all navigation in the Mozambique Channel due to torrential rains that have been falling since Friday, 9 January, across almost the entire country, particularly in the southern and central regions.
Specifically, all coastal passenger transport, artisanal fishing, activities involving small vessels, and recreational boating have been suspended. Vessels that were already at sea have been instructed to seek shelter in safe ports.
In a statement quoted by the Mozambique Information Agency, the institution clarified that the measure will remain in force until the storm system weakens.
Recently, the National Institute for Disaster Risk Management and Reduction (INGD) reported that 85 people have died, 70 were injured, and another 105,100 have been affected by climate-related events during the 2025–26 rainy season.
In October, the Government approved the national contingency plan for the 2025–26 rainy season, budgeted at 14 billion meticais. However, it acknowledged that it currently has only 6 billion meticais of the required amount. Mozambique is currently in the peak of the rainy season, a period marked by alerts for heavy rainfall and strong winds, particularly in the central and southern regions of the country, with authorities activating anticipatory actions to address flooding and inundations in those areas.
The country is considered one of the most severely affected by climate change, cyclically facing floods and tropical cyclones. During the 2024–25 rainy season, Mozambique was hit by cyclones Chido, Dikeledi and Jude, which caused at least 313 deaths, injured 1,255 people and affected more than 1.8 million.
Extreme weather events caused at least 1,016 deaths in Mozambique between 2019 and 2023, affecting around 4.9 million people, according to data from the National Statistics Institute.
Source: Diário Económico
