Expansion of the coal terminal in Beira

The government of Mozambique has awarded the project to expand the coal terminal at the port of Beira as a concession to the New Beira Coal Terminal Company (NCTB), said Ambrósio Sitoe, spokesman for the Ministry of Transport and Communications.The spokesman said the expansion of the terminal is intended to increase transport capacity of the Sena railway from 6.5 million to 20 million tons per year. The railway links Moatize, in Tete province, to the port of Beira, in Sofala province.Sitoe, cited by Mozambican newspaper Notícias, recalled that the Mozambican government in 2014 approved an investment project in which the Vale group was the majority shareholder to increase the transport capacity of the Sena railway.

“The works are well advanced and should be completed in December, but the coal terminal at the port of Beira still has a coal handling capacity of about 6 million tons per year, and therefore we need to speed up the harmonisation of the two facilities,” he said.Sitoe, who is also spokesman for the 34th Coordinating Council of the MTC, taking place in the city of Matola, also said the government is committed to increase the handling capacity of the port of Beira.The spokesman said that the council discussed priority projects linked to the development of the port of Beira, such as the Machipanda line, whose feasibility study has been completed, as well as the recovery of pier 1, which will ensure containerised freight logistics.New Coal Terminal Beira (NCTB) is a partnership between Mozambican state port and rail manager CFM, with 30% and Indian group Essar Ports Ltd, with the remaining 70%.