Port Of Nacala Plans To Double Cargo Handling Capacity
Nacala (Mozambique), 13 Dec (AIM) – The northern Mozambican port of Nacala plans to increase its cargo handling capacity from 100,000 TEU (twenty-foot equivalent unit) yearly to 252,000 TEU, a growth of over 150 percent, after the conclusion of the rehabilitation, expansion and modernisation works next March.
The guarantee was given on Monday by the director of the Project for the Rehabilitation of Nacala Port, Edgar Jorge, during a working visit of a delegation from the Japanese Embassy to the port. The rehabilitation is funded by the Japanese International Cooperation Agency (JICA), which for this purpose has disbursed 277.5 million US dollars.
Jorge acknowledged that it will not be possible to conclude the work by 24 December 24, as planned. “We are not going to meet the deadline. We have some small things yet to be concluded”, Jorge said in an interview with journalists on the sidelines of the meeting.
But he guaranteed that the work will be concluded by the end of March. AIM learned on the spot that the main factor that determined the delay was the Covid-19 pandemic, which conditioned the execution of the job, which was partially paralysed for about eight months.
According to Jorge, about 90 percent of the work has now been done. Jorge said he believes that the actions underway will be able to attract large ships and reduce the time ships spend at the port.
“We are going to build a quay 400 metres long and with a depth of 14 metres. Previously we had a depth of 10 metres or less”, he explained.
The work includes the complete rehabilitation of the port facilities, dredging, construction of access roads, and investing in equipment for greater efficiency.
The Port of Nacala is the best natural harbour in southeast Africa, so its development is expected to enhance its function as a regional entry infrastructure.
The delegation from the Japanese embassy is in Nampula to inquire about the level of execution of the projects financed by Japany. In addition to the Port of Nacala, the delegation will visit, this Tuesday, in Namialo, Monapo district, the project for strengthening the power transmission network in the Nacala Corridor, and will then travel to Mozambique Island, where it will visit the project for the expansion of classrooms in the Jembesse Complete Primary School (EPC).
In the afternoon, the delegation will learn about the construction project of the Institute of Health Sciences in Nacala, and a courtesy visit to the Mayor of Nacala is also planned.
(AIM)
Dt/ad/pf (428)
