Mineral Exports Trigger Record Volumes at Mozambique Port in 2023
The Port of Maputo in Mozambique achieved a record volume of 31.2-million tons of cargo in 2023. Of the total cargo recorded, approximately 25-million tons comprised various ores, including chromium, ferrochrome, magnetite, coal, phosphate ore, vanadium, titanium, copper, and vermiculite.
Announced by privately held Mozambican company, the Maputo Port Development Company (MPDC), the uptick represents a 16% year-on-year growth compared to 2022, while contributing over $41 million in fixed and variable fees to the country’s government.
“The handling of these cargoes reflects the diversification strategy on which the Port of Maputo has focused on in recent years,” stated MPDC CEO, Osório Lucas.
Additionally, it was noted that a more balanced distribution of the transport volumes resulted in 61% handled by road and 39% by rail – indicating an increase of 8.4% in rail compared to 2022 – also a record.
The Maputo port serves as a strategic gateway to the sub-Saharan region, linking the Gauteng industrial hub in South Africa, as well as the Limpopo and Mpumalanga mining regions, to Mozambique.
