PORT OF BEIRA

Container & General Cargo Terminals operated and managed by:

CORNELDER DE MOÇAMBIQUE
P.O. Box 236
Porto da Beira
Largo dos CFM
Beira

Tel: +258 23 322 734/5

Fax: +258 23 322 736

Cornelder de Moçambique (CdM) is a private joint venture between Moçambique Ports and Railways (CFM) and Cornelder Holdings based in Rotterdam – Holland. CdM has operated the Container and General Cargo Terminals in the Port of Beira since October 1998.

The Port of Beira is situated on the north bank of the Pungue River and is an important centre for shipping and logistics in the central Mozambican and Central African regions, while serving as a gateway to the neighbouring African states by road and, rail and pipeline to Zimbabwe, and road and rail to Botswana, Zambia, DR Congo, and Malawi. The city of Beira is the third largest in Mozambique.

The port has 11 berths extending along 1,994 metres of quayside, excluding berth 1 which is reserved for fishing vessels.

Port of Beira, with fishing port in centre, appearing in Africa PORTS & SHIPS — *Port of Beira, with fishing port and dry dock in centre*

THE PORT OF BEIRA

The Port of Beira (and city) developed in the late 1880s as a gateway to the hinterland, principally to the then Rhodesia. By 1889 channel buoys were in place and the first wooden pier to handle ships as erected in 1895. A railway, which was under construction by the well-known railway builder in Southern Africa, George Pauling & Sons, reached the then Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) border in 1898.

From the 1920s to 1949 deepwater berths and an improved anchorage were constructed under the direction and control of the Companhia do Porto da Beira. In 1949 the Mozambique Ports & Railways company (CFM) took over administrative control of the port and railway. This continued until 1998 when a joint venture was established between Cornelder Holding of the Netherlands and CFM for the new company, Cornelder de Moçambique (CdM), which took over the management of the Beira port container and general cargo terminals. This arrangement continues.

In recent years a coal terminal with a capacity of up to 6 million tons a year has been completed. Coal is transhipped to bulk ships lying offshore that are too large to enter the river.

The port is investing also in an increased capacity at the existing grain and general cargo terminals and a new fertiliser facility.

Cargo handling equipment at the port has been modernised including new ship-to-shore gantry cranes.

The Terminals are fully secured with electric fencing, a CCTV security camera system is installed and there is a strict control of personnel, visitors and cargo, which is handled by a private professional security company. Each terminal has a dedicated gate with in and out and fitted with electronic data access, customs, Immigration and health).

CdM is fully compliant with the ISPS code.

Multi-Purpose Container Terminal

The container terminal has a berth length of 645 metres, comprising berths 2, 3, 4 and 5. The designed depth alongside of the quays is about 12 metres and the terminal has a projected capacity of 400,000 TEUs per year.

Container Storage and Stacking Facilities:

The container terminal has 350,000 m2 of a well illuminated container yard, able to accommodate 11,200 TEU including 144 electric reefer points and includes a dedicated International Maritime Dangerous Goods (IMDG) dangerous goods storage area.

There are two bonded transit warehouses (8,400 / 3,650 m2) for stuffing and stripping containers, both fully secured.

The terminal is equipped with two ship-to-shore (STS) gantry cranes and one rail mounted gantry (RMG) crane. Other equipment includes reach stackers, forklifts, terminal tractors, normal trailers & skeletons and an emergency generator. There is a weigh bridge for container trucks.

Chrome, copper, cotton and tobacco can be containerised inside the port area.

General Cargo Terminal

The general Cargo Terminal has a quayside length of 670 metres comprising berth numbers 6, 7 9 and 10. The designed depth alongside the terminal is 10 metres. The terminal has a capacity of 10 million tonnes a year.

The terminal has five covered warehouses comprising 15,000 square metres; 12,000m2 of paved open space for ferro chrome, granite, steel and other breakbulk cargoes, while a further storage area of about 174,000m2 is available for expansion. Each warehouse is served with rail siding facilities.

Beira Grain Terminal

The Beira Grain Terminal was established in August 2010 and provides a modern grain handling facility equipped with cleaning and bagging facilities to offer a variety of service options to port users.

This terminal allows the unloading/loading of cereals in bulk with unloading/loading rates ranging from 4,000 to 5,000 tons/day. The terminal has a total storage capacity of 30,000 metric tonnes – in its planned second phase this will double to 60,000mt.

Beira Coal Terminal

Beira’s coal terminal receives coal for export and transported by rail along the Sena Railway from the Moatize region of Tete Province. The current capacity of this line is 6.5 million tonnes a year. Plans are mooted to increase the capacity of the railway to 20 million tonnes a year. However, Vale Moçambique has since refurbished the Nacala Railway via Malawi to include a connection from Moatize and has commenced railing coal for export to Nacala, lessening its dependence on Beira.

Coal being exported at Beira is usually transhipped to larger ships lying offshore.

Dredging

Regular maintenance dredging of the port and its approaches takes place using departmental(Emodraga) dredgers stationed at the Port of Beira.

Ship Repair

Beira dry dock, appearing in Africa PORTS & SHIPS — *Beira dry dock*

Ship repair facilities are available and the port has a small dry dock for vessels up to 110 metres in length.

Tides

The Port of Beira experiences a tidal range at HW springs ranging from 6.2 to 7.4 metres.

Pilotage

Pilotage is compulsory for all Beira bound vessels and advance notice of 24 hours is required. The port is serviced with pilot launch and tugs.

MUTARE DRY PORT

CdM is a shareholder of Mutare Dry Port, a Zimbabwean company located in Mutare on the border between Mozambique and Zimbabwe, where dry port facilities are being offered (inland Container and General Cargo Terminal). Mutare is linked to Beira by road and by rail (about 290 km).

PORT OF QUELIMANE

CdM together with Moçambique Ports and Railways (CFM), has expanded activities to form a joint venture called Cornelder Quelimane to the north of Beira in Central Moçambique.