The operator of Mozambique's deep seaport of Nacala said it plans to build southern Africa's biggest trans-shipment terminal at the facility to handle 3 million tonnes of regional trade annually.
Fernando Couto, administrator of Corredor de Desenvolvimento de Norte (CDN), a concession that runs Nacala port and the rail line to landlocked Malawi, said the group also hoped to take advantage of the region's growing trade with China and India.
Couto told Reuters that CDN was in talks with the Mozambican government and would seek partners for the project, expected to cost $150 million, including rehabilitation of the rail line linking the port with Malawi. "It (the seaport) will handle vessels of the Panamax type weighing between 80,000 tonnes to 200,000 tonnes," Couto said.
Cargo volumes at Nacala would soar from a current 30,000 tonnes annually to 3 million tonnes, he said, estimating construction would start in two years and take a further 24 months to complete.
Only Tanzania and Mauritius in Africa's Indian Ocean region offered shippers facilities to transfer containers from large vessels for further shipment by land or smaller vessels to neighbouring states, Couto said. "The Oceanic terminal and the port would...force Mauritius to compete fiercely because it's an Island, and Mozambique already serves other hinterland countries," Couto said in an interview.