Grindrod suspends port operations in Mozambique after border closure
Logistics company Grindrod has suspended port and terminal operations in Mozambique after South Africa temporarily closed the main border with its northeastern neighbour over safety concerns after a violent crackdown on post-election protests, the company said on Thursday.
The suspension will hit the movement of goods and commodities in a region already battling with logistical bottlenecks as under-funded state-owned port and rail companies struggle to provide adequate services.
At least 18 people have been killed in the protests, human rights groups have said, as opposition supporters demonstrate against what they say is a fraudulent election win by Frelimo, the party that has ruled Mozambique since 1975.
South Africa's border authority said on Wednesday that it had closed the Lebombo border after receiving reports of vehicles being torched on the Mozambique side.
A Grindrod statement said it had suspended port and terminal operations in Maputo and Matola after the border closure and suspension of rail services.
The company is part of a consortium granted a concession to operate the Maputo port alongside DP World, the Mozambican Railway Company and Gestores, a private Mozambican company.
Maputo port reported record volume growth in 2023, partly owing to increased coal and chrome export volumes diverted from South Africa, where State-owned Transnet is failing to provide adequate rail and port capacity.
In 2023 Maputo port handled a record 31.2-million metric tons of cargo, mostly minerals including copper, chrome, ferrochrome and coal, up 16% on the previous year.
Comments
Research Reports
Latest Multimedia
Latest News
Showroom
Education: Consulting with member companies to obtain the optimal benefits from their B-BBEE spending, skills resources as well as B-BBEE points
VISIT SHOWROOM
ENVASS is a customer and solutions-driven environmental consultancy with established divisions, serviced by highly qualified and experienced...
VISIT SHOWROOM
Announcements
What's On
Subscribe to improve your user experience...
Option 1 (equivalent of R125 a month):
Receive a weekly copy of Creamer Media's Engineering News & Mining Weekly magazine
(print copy for those in South Africa and e-magazine for those outside of South Africa)
Receive daily email newsletters
Access to full search results
Access archive of magazine back copies
Access to Projects in Progress
Access to ONE Research Report of your choice in PDF format
Option 2 (equivalent of R375 a month):
All benefits from Option 1
PLUS
Access to Creamer Media's Research Channel Africa for ALL Research Reports, in PDF format, on various industrial and mining sectors
including Electricity; Water; Energy Transition; Hydrogen; Roads, Rail and Ports; Coal; Gold; Platinum; Battery Metals; etc.
Already a subscriber?
Forgotten your password?
Receive weekly copy of Creamer Media's Engineering News & Mining Weekly magazine (print copy for those in South Africa and e-magazine for those outside of South Africa)
➕
Recieve daily email newsletters
➕
Access to full search results
➕
Access archive of magazine back copies
➕
Access to Projects in Progress
➕
Access to ONE Research Report of your choice in PDF format
RESEARCH CHANNEL AFRICA
R4500 (equivalent of R375 a month)
SUBSCRIBEAll benefits from Option 1
➕
Access to Creamer Media's Research Channel Africa for ALL Research Reports on various industrial and mining sectors, in PDF format, including on:
Electricity
➕
Water
➕
Energy Transition
➕
Hydrogen
➕
Roads, Rail and Ports
➕
Coal
➕
Gold
➕
Platinum
➕
Battery Metals
➕
etc.
Receive all benefits from Option 1 or Option 2 delivered to numerous people at your company
➕
Multiple User names and Passwords for simultaneous log-ins
➕
Intranet integration access to all in your organisation
