Railway operator Lobito Atlantic Railway (LAR) has reported that the first shipment of copper destined for the US left the port of Lobito, in Angola, this week, loaded on the MSC SAMU container vessel.

This follows a number of shipments of copper to ports in Europe and the Far East since the LAR took over the concession in January.

The cargo of copper cathodes bound for Baltimore arrived in Lobito on August 19 on a LAR operated train from Kolwezi six days after it was dispatched, demonstrating the time efficient western route to market that is now available for minerals and metals produced in the Congolese Copperbelt.

“This shipment highlights the growing supply of services by international shipping companies to the port of Lobito, which will support the growing development of our operations and regular shipments of raw materials to Europe and America,” says LAR board of directors chairperson Francisco Franca.

A 30-year concession has been awarded to the LAR consortium joint venture comprising Trafigura, Mota-Engil and Vecturis.

Since January, the LAR has been operating, managing and maintaining the railway line that extends across Angola for almost 1 300 km between the Port of Lobito to Luau in eastern Angola and connects with the rail network run by the National Railway Society of the Congo in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) to Kolwezi, the heart of the Copperbelt.

After investment, the railway is expected to provide a quicker western route to market for minerals and metals produced in the Congolese Copperbelt. The upgraded railway line will also help bring vital goods and resources into the region and support business development and commercial activity along the route.

The LAR consortium is the concession holder for the operation, management and maintenance of the Lobito corridor railway linking Angola to the DRC. A separate US-EU supported prefeasibility study is under way into extending the Lobito railway from northern Zambia to eastern Angola.