By: OrePulse

Osório Lucas, chief executive of Maputo Port Development Company (MPDC), said growth at Mozambique's Maputo port complements South Africa's port network rather than competing against it, dismissing suggestions that the gateway is drawing cargo away from its neighbor.

"We are not eating anybody's lunch," Lucas said. "The South African economy is big. There is enough for everyone to have lunch, dinner and supper."

His comments followed news that the Port of Maputo handled a record 32 million tonnes of cargo in 2025, up sharply from about 5 million tonnes when MPDC was established three decades ago. Lucas said the port is now targeting 43 million tonnes of throughput by 2033.

That growth is underpinned by a $500 million investment program that began in 2024 and is due to wrap up in the first quarter of 2027. Under the program, the container terminal's capacity is being expanded from 270,000 to 530,000 twenty-foot equivalent units, nearly double current levels. In contrast, the coal terminal's capacity is set to grow from 10 million to 12 million tonnes.

Lucas said Maputo's rise owes more to execution than to who controls the port. "The question is, can you implement your vision?" he said, citing a digital system that connects mines directly to the port and gives shippers real-time visibility of their cargo. He said around 200 employees receive training each year, and described the port's approach as a "gate-to-gate service" meant to smooth the movement of cargo from mine sites through to vessel loading.

The port also drew attention for finishing 273rd among 400 facilities in the 2025 Container Port Performance Index, placing it above several South African terminals, including Durban, Gqeberha, Ngqura and Cape Town.

MPDC runs its concession in partnership with Grindrod, the JSE-listed logistics group, while South Africa's state-owned ports fall under Transnet National Ports Authority. Lucas's remarks frame the two networks as complementary, with Maputo's added capacity intended to give regional shippers, including South African exporters, an additional route to market rather than diverting volumes away from Transnet's terminals.

The Maputo Corridor links landlocked areas of southern Africa, as well as South Africa's own Mpumalanga and Limpopo provinces, to Mozambique's coast, giving mining and agricultural exporters in the region an alternative gateway alongside ports further south along the South African coastline.

With the current expansion still roughly a year and a half from completion, MPDC's ability to reach its 2033 target of 43 million tonnes will hinge on continued investment in the port itself as well as the road and rail links that feed cargo into Maputo from across the region.