Despite the post-election protests that continue to disrupt logistics and trade in Mozambique, the operators of the Port of Maputo on Tuesday reported encouraging annual volumes for 2024, highlighting the site’s overall resilience last year.
According to the Maputo Port Development Company (MPDC), the port operator in which SA logistics giant Grindrod has a 24.7% stake, the Port of Maputo handled 30.9-million tonnes last year, down only 1% from the previous year.
The MPDC said the slight decrease in total volumes, which includes all terminals from the Port of Maputo and the Port of Matola, was primarily due to post-electoral protests and road blockages in the Maputo corridor.
The protests and blockages resulted in a complete border closure for several days and more than a month of conditioned border and road operations, while also forcing the rail corridor from SA to Mozambique to shut down for a month last year.
However, “while this represents a slight reduction of 1% compared to 2023, the Port of Maputo continued to show resilience and adaptability in the face of significant logistics challenges”, said MPDC.
Overall, the disruptions to port operations caused by Mozambique’s civil unrest in the last three months of 2024 were offset by robust growth in the country’s road and rail volumes.
The MPDC reported significant growth in road volumes, increasing by 11% year on year to 10.7-million tonnes, while rail volumes grew by 7% to more than 3-million tonnes.
As a result, MPDC’s direct operations handled a total of 14.2-million tons, up 14% from the previous year. The group also increased the concessions it paid to the Mozambican government by 12% year on year.
MPDC CEO Osório Lucas said the Maputo port faced a challenging last quarter of the year, “but our team’s resilience, coupled with our continued focus on diversification and efficiency, enabled us to maintain strong operational performance overall”.
“The growth in our direct operations and transport volumes is a testament to this effort,” he said.
However, Road Freight Association (RFA) CEO Gavin Kelly warned that the MPDC’s report was for the whole of last year, “and one needs to note that the disruptions to cargo flows into the port were really only at the end of a really impressive year for the port, and for a combined period of 46 days (over three months) where cargo flow was severely impacted”.
“Hopefully this will not continue in 2025, but it seems the stirrings of further unrest and protest are still there,” warned Kelly.
“The Port has done exceptionally well, and it has become a vital alternative to numerous businesses in SA (and indeed in other SADC countries). The Port of Maputo has struggled against a number of challenges and come out strengthened and exuberant on the other side. This bodes well for Mozambique (internal challenges notwithstanding) and for Southern Africa," he said.
The resilience of the Port of Maputo’s operations is important for SA coal producers, as it helps alleviate some of the pressure on the country’s main coal export route, the Richards Bay terminal.
A report by the International Energy Agency (IEA) noted that Grindrod was making strategic moves to acquire coal opportunities in neighbouring Mozambique and Botswana. The two countries signed an agreement to develop the new Techobanine deep water port in the Mozambique capital, Maputo, and the Limpopo railway line last year.
“This would enable landlocked Botswana to export its substantial coal reserves, estimated at about 200-billion tonnes, via Mozambique. Additionally, SA infrastructure operator Grindrod has announced its full consolidation of ownership of the existing Matola Coal Terminal (TCM),” said the IEA.
“The company plans to spend $77m to acquire the remaining 35% of shares from Vitol. Grindrod intends to expand the terminal’s capacity beyond its current 7Mtpa.”
As Grindrod and other major SA logistics players look to increase their presence in Mozambique, the new year brings major expansion projects for the Maputo port, including the expansion of its container terminal and coal terminal.
“These projects are two main pillars of the concession’s extension granted at the beginning of 2024 and represent a strategic investment in the Port’s future growth, ensuring it remains a key driver of trade and logistics in the region,” said MPDC.
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