The Chinese company Ding Sheng Minerals, SA, responsible for operating the heavy sands mine in Chibuto, in Gaza province, southern Mozambique, is scheduled to start exporting the resource in the first quarter of this year. This will happen after the construction of the Chongoene dock, the infrastructure that will be used to moor the vessels, is completed.
The construction of the Chongoene dock aims to find a more flexible and cost-effective way of exporting the heavy sands from Chibuto, avoiding the high costs of transportation by road to the port of Maputo and then on to the foreign market.
“The progress of the works is in line with the initial schedule, which leads us to conclude that the heavy sands export operations could take place at the end of the first quarter of this year,” said Artur Macamo, Chongoene’s administrator, quoted by the newspaper Notícias.
According to him, the project is valued at more than 300 million dollars. “In the initial phase, 20,000 tons of cargo will be shipped per day, and by 2025 we expect the volume to increase to more than 40,000. In addition to the ores mined in Chibuto, the dock will also be used to export heavy sands from Chongoene and Mandlakazi, which are expected to be exploited soon,” he said.
The unloading and storage of heavy sands for later export is scheduled to begin this February. “The work is going smoothly and the warehouses have already been completed,” emphasized Artur Macamo.
According to the administrator, the start-up of the infrastructure will boost development in the district, creating business opportunities in the area of social and corporate responsibility.
