In one of the major milestones relating to Mozambique’s maritime infrastructure, the Port of Beira attained record cargo volume growth of 122% in July 2024. This remarkable growth now sees the facility’s monthly cargo volumes, for the first time ever, rise to 442,000 tonnes from 199,000 tonnes recorded in July 2023. The reason behind such a huge rush characterizes a defining moment when the port is set to emerge as a key link in the regional logistics and trade network.
Miguel de Jenga, Operations Director at Cornelder de Moçambique, the company responsible for the port operations, announced that this record tonnage shows the increasing importance of the port and the efficiency gained in its operational capacity.
This growth trajectory at the Port of Beira has also continued in the year-to-date figures. For the period January to July 2024, volumes handled at the general cargo terminal were up by 24% year-on-year. At the container terminal, which forms a critical component of infrastructure at the port, an even more impressive 40% growth was recorded, managing 226,000 containers from 160,000 handled in the comparative period last year.
This growth in cargo handling is a result of a number of reasons: there has been a high increase in the importation of clinker and corn, which are highly needed in the country’s market. Importation of wheat, equipment, and Sulphur has also highly increased, not just to feed the Mozambican market, but its neighboring countries as well. Its influence is now becoming wider in this geographical radius.
Included among the many developments has been a growing Port of Beira servicing new markets. Perhaps the most notable of these new clients is Zambia, especially for the exportation of eucalyptus and manganese. This variety, in such ways, underlines the growing importance of the port as a regional logistical node, adding to its competitive position and attractiveness to a wider range of international partners.
Despite these recent developments, however, Zimbabwe still remains the largest user of this port, relying mostly on Beira to export its products such as chrome, lithium, petalite, and tobacco. This sustained demand simply pegs the Port of Beira as an indispensable facility in underpinning Zimbabwe’s export-oriented industries and regional trade.
Volume records at the Port of Beira not only highlight the increase in trade activities but also the evolution in capacity and efficiency. This trend of a marked increase in general cargo volumes and containerized cargo volumes reflects improvements in good infrastructure and operations, in line with the general economic and trade development goals of Mozambique.
Operations and services will further expand at the Port of Beira, and it should logically assume an increasingly significant place in regional logistics. The growth figures, as impressive as they might be, represent a high point in the history of the port and a new benchmark against which future performance will be measured. This achievement not only indicates the current capability of the port but also demonstrates its potential for continued growth and influence in the coming years.
The record cargo volume in the Port of Beira represents its strategic relevance in regional trade, the efficiency of improvements in its operations, and its growing role in servicing new markets. Continued success on the part of the port is going to be instrumental in moulding the economic landscape of Mozambique and solidifying its position as one of the leading players in the regional and international logistics sectors.
