Mozambique’s Maputo port began construction on the first phase of its planned $2 billion expansion project on Monday, a senior port official said.
The $164 million first phase will more than double the container terminal’s capacity from the current 255,000 twenty foot equivalent units (TEUs) a year to 530,000 TEUs when completed in the next two years.
The project aims to position the port as a major regional shipment hub. The port is already handling increased volumes as logistics bottlenecks in neighbouring South Africa force commodity exporters to seek alternative routes.
Infrastructure upgrades in the first phase include extending the existing quay by 400 metres to 650 metres and deepening the berth draft to 16 metres to cater for larger ships, said Osorio Lucas, chief executive of operator Maputo Port Development Company (MPDC).
The MPDC is a consortium including multinational logistics company DP World, South Africa’s Grindrod and state-owned Mozambique rail operator Caminhos de Ferro de Mocambique.
After a slight dip in exports in the face of civil unrest in Mozambique after disputed elections last year, Lucas said the company expected operations to pick up next month.