Taiwan's Evergreen Marine is to introduce a new container shipping service between China and the Port of Maputo, positioning the Mozambican gateway as an alternative to the Port of Durban for importers in South Africa's Gauteng province.
The service, designated AEF5, is scheduled to begin on 25 November with a departure from Shanghai, calling at Ningbo, Nansha, Port Klang, Dar es Salaam, and Maputo. The return leg will include a call at Singapore.
Evergreen has planned a round voyage duration of 56 days. Arrival dates at individual ports, sailing frequency, and container capacity have not yet been disclosed.
The carrier also operates the SAF service, launched in April in partnership with Pacific International Lines, which connects China to the South African ports of Durban and Cape Town.
According to World Bank data, the Port of Maputo lies 584 kilometres from Johannesburg by rail, compared with 720 kilometres from Durban. However, routing cargo through Maputo requires crossing the Mozambique-South Africa border at the Ressano Garcia and Komatipoort posts.
South Africa is meanwhile planning to develop a truck-processing facility at the Lebombo border post, with the aim of reducing freight transit delays.
In parallel, the Maputo Port Development Company (MPDC) is expanding the port's container terminal, targeting a handling capacity of 530,000 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEU). For Gauteng importers, the competitiveness of the Maputo corridor will ultimately depend on vessel schedules, inland transport costs, and border clearance procedures.
Source: Diário Económico
Original article: https://www.diarioeconomico.co.mz/?p=559360
