In early 2025, as political unrest pushed Mozambique towards stalemate, forecasting seemed almost pointless. The country was in uproar, borders were close to closing and supply chains were at a near standstill. Yet the system held. By January, the Port of Maputo announced it had notched up 32 million tonnes of cargo an all-time high. Osrio Lucas, chief executive officer of the Maputo Port Development Company MPDC, is quick to point out that the record was not driven by a single factor. External shifts in South Africas energy- constrained ferrochrome sector changed the trade mix, with more raw chrome moving east to China rather than ferrochrome being exported from South Africa. Internally, MPDCs ongoing investment programme has remained focused on improving turnaround times and keeping freight moving. The performance, however, is also the result of a long-term strategy a consistent effort over the past 15 years to position Maputo as a port of choice, underpinned by an intentionally managed journey towards operational maturity that is far from finished. We are continuously investing in systems and infrastructure. We are continuously investing in training of our people, while at the same time pushing for more collaboration and integration between stakeholders, Lucas told Freight News. For Lucas, the point has never been to run an efficient port in isolation, but rather to build an efficient corridor. Operating the port efficiently is not enough if the goods cannot reach the port efficiently, he says, arguing that Maputos competitive edge increasingly depends on digital integration and faster border processes as much as on quay-side performance. The latest results speak for themselves. A total of 32 million tonnes was handled at the Port of Maputo last year, representing a 3.4 increase on the 30.9m tonnes handled in 2024. MPDCs direct operations also reached a record level, with 15.2m tonnes handled a 6.4 year-on-year increase. Rail volumes grew by 17, rising from 9.7m tonnes in 2024 to 11.7m tonnes in 2025. On the Mozambican side we have seen major improvements over the past few years, says Lucas. The digital integration between the port and CFM has made a major difference as we are seeing better management of assets. Practical solutions such as the truck stop have improved turnaround times, while ongoing investment in infrastructure and equipment has delivered major efficiency gains. The ports productivity continues on an upward trajectory thanks to the collective effort of our teams and partners across the entire logistics chain. A key contributor to those gains has been improved rail coordination and visibility. MPDC and CFM have implemented a rail-to-port system that provides end-to-end tracking of trains from the border through to the port, cutting transit times from more than 100 hours to around 45 hours, with a target of between 30 and 35 hours. The next phase, Lucas says, is focused on reducing train waiting times at marshalling yards and increasing direct operations, enabling greater throughput from the same rolling stock by improving cycle times. For Lucas, the next step is to grow the container trade out of Maputo. Of the 32m, 25m tonnes of it was bulk. There is a lot of potential to grow containers and the rehabilitation and expansion works at the container terminal are happening as we speak. Last year, DP World, operator of the container terminal at the port, launched a 165 million expansion project that will see the port equipped with the latest technology and world-class infrastructure to boost capacity and efficiency. Yard capacity will increase by 6.48 hectares, doubling throughput from 255 000 TEUs to 530 000 TEUs. The total quay length will be extended to 650 metres and the berth deepened to 16 metres. But while capacity expansion is crucial, Lucas stresses that corridor efficiency will remain the defining factor in Maputos ability to sustain growth. Cross- border performance, he says, is risk zero-zero for the business. There is a lot of repetition in processes and documents. There are delays that are simply not justifiable, he explains. If the systems are integrated on both sides of the border and the rail operators are aligned, we will see even more improvement. LV
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