The 5,440 TEU Post Panamax Container vessel, Wide Juliet, 255 metres long and 37 metres beam, has called at the Port of Beira. The vessel is the highest capacity container ship that has ever served the Port of Beira and represents an important historical milestone not only for port operator Cornelder de Moçambique (CdM), but also for all stakeholders of the Beira Logistics Corridor.
The Port of Beira has witnessed significant growth in containerised cargo in recent years, a result of the aggressive commercial strategy that CdM has been developing in the region’s markets. This is underscored by continuous investment in improving accessibility to the port, acquisition of modern handling equipment, expansion of storage areas, introduction of new technologies and systems to optimise operations – all factors that contribute to improving performance and giving greater confidence to port customers and users.
The investments made in dredging to deepen the port’s access channel, manoeuvring basin and berths, has also been decisive in enabling large capacity Panamax and Post Pamanax vessels to call in Beira more regularly.
This increased frequency of large vessels provides economies of scale and challenges all players in the Beira Corridor logistics chain – the port operator, railways, road transporters, shipping lines, freight forwarders and logistics companies – to be more efficient, competitive and quick to respond to customer needs. It is undoubtedly a turning point, long awaited by logistics operators and especially by customers and users who consider the Beira Corridor to be their natural route for the shortest and easiest way to access international markets.
The Wide Juliet, owned by the Mediterranean Shipping Company, was built in 2015. The Port of Beira has also recently received the Panamax vessel MSC Gina, 260 metres long with a capacity of 4,056 TEUs.
Regular calls by this type of vessel, in addition to giving greater credibility to the port, contribute significantly to the growth and development of business across the markets of the countries making up the vast hinterland region served by the Beira Corridor.
