Maputo port volumes fall after postelection protests

Mozambique’s largest port, Maputo, reported a 1% decline in volumes in 2024 mainly due to postelection protests that forced border closures and road blockages, the port operator said on Tuesday.

The country was rocked by opposition protests after a disputed October 9 vote won by Daniel Chapo and his Frelimo party, which has governed Mozambique since 1975. The unrest has left more than 300 people dead after a crackdown by security forces.

Maputo port volumes for 2024 dipped to 30.9-million tonnes, from a record 31.2-million tonnes in 2023, the Maputo Port Development Company (MPDC) said.

“The slight decrease in total volumes … was primarily due to the postelectoral protests and road blockages in the Maputo corridor, including border closure for several days and conditioned border and road operations for more than a month consolidated,” MPDC said.

The rail corridor from SA to Mozambique was also affected by the protests and blockages, paired with a derailment in October and November, which shut the line for a month, MPDC added.

The Maputo port is handling growing volumes mainly driven by commodity exporters increasingly sending cargo through Mozambique to get around logistics bottlenecks in SA. Goods handled include coal, chrome, copper, and grains such as maize and wheat.

The MPDC is a consortium including multinational logistics firm DP World, SA’s Grindrod, and Mozambique’s state-owned rail operator Caminhos de Ferro de Moçambique.

The consortium, first granted the Maputo port concession in 2003, was last year granted an extension to 2058. The port is also set to be expanded to handle 58-million tonnes of cargo, from 37-million tonnes now.

Reuters