MOZAMBIQUE: MAPUTO PORT TO COMPLETE EXPANSION OF CONTAINER AND COAL TERMINALS IN 2027

Construction on the container terminal expansion began in early 2025 following the award of the EPC tender. The works extend the existing quay by 400 metres to a total length of 650 metres, deepen the berth draft to 16 metres to accommodate larger vessels, and install three Super Post Panamax Ship-to-Shore cranes. When complete, the expansion will allow the port to handle ships up to 366 metres in length, transforming it into a genuine deep-sea terminal capable of competing with any regional hub.

 Container capacity will rise from 255,000 TEUs to 530,000 TEUs annually.

At the Matola Coal Terminal, President Daniel Chapo officially launched an $80 million expansion in October 2025, beginning work to increase annual throughput from 8 million tonnes to 12 million tonnes within two years. Grindrod, which operates the terminal, will manage the upgrade. The coal terminal accounts for approximately 27% of total cargo volumes at the port of Maputo, primarily serving South African exporters who have diverted coal, chrome and magnetite shipments from Transnet's increasingly unreliable rail and port network. The terminal's strategic value has grown sharply as South Africa's logistics crisis has deepened.

Mozambican President Chapo has explicitly called for deeper operational integration between MPDC and the state rail operator CFM, arguing that a seamlessly connected rail and port corridor is essential for Mozambique to capture the full economic benefit of regional commodity flows. The automatic connection now established between the Port of Maputo and the Ressano Garcia border crossing with South Africa represents a step in that direction, reducing transit times and improving compliance oversight.

The longer-term ambition is even larger. Under the 2058 concession, MPDC has committed to investing up to $2 billion over the full period, ultimately raising total port capacity from 37 million tonnes per year to 54 million tonnes. Container capacity will eventually reach 1 million TEUs annually. The Matola Coal Terminal will grow to 18 million tonnes and the General Cargo Terminal to over 15 million tonnes. The 2027 milestone on the container and coal terminals is the first major delivery in a transformation that will define Maputo's role as a Southern African logistics hub for the next three decades.