Africa-Press – Mozambique. The Mozambican President called for a commitment to maritime transport of large tonnage cargo when he relaunched coastal shipping on Friday in order to reduce the price of transporting goods and basic necessities.
“We have decided to encourage coastal shipping in recognition of its potential (…), thus making it possible to significantly reduce the cost of transporting goods in the country, quickly achieving the goal of reducing the price of products to the end consumer,” said Daniel Chapo.
The Mozambican Head of State presented two privately financed cabotage vessels at the port of Maputo, with a capacity of two and nine thousand tonnes each, whose aim is to ensure the regular transport of goods between the country’s main ports, linking Maputo, Beira, Nacala and Pemba in particular.
When presenting the vessels, the President advocated the use of coastal shipping to move a variety of cargo, especially construction materials and foodstuffs, arguing that it will reduce road accidents and congestion on the country’s roads.
“Maritime cabotage is a sustainable mode of transport, with low pollutant emissions. We need to promote the migration of road freight to the sea, which will reduce the flow of lorries, especially on the north-south axis, which accentuates the degradation of road infrastructure, especially our backbone, the N1 [National Highway Number 1],” he pointed out.
The President also wants to see agricultural marketing boosted and the flow of products ensured.
“This system, dominated by road transport, makes goods more expensive for our people. Road transport also makes everything that is transported more expensive, even for the hauliers themselves, because of the distortions in the logistics chain,” said Chapo.
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