BEIRA

Contact address

Cornelder de Moçambique, s.a.
Porto da Beira, PO Box 236, Largo dos CFM
Beira, Mozambique

Tel: +258 - 2332 2734/5
Fax: +258 - 2332 2736
e-mail: Cornelder@cornelder.co.mz

Managing Director - Carlos Mesquita
Production Director - Orlando Belo
Finance & Admin Director - Jan Krogerus
Terminal Manager - Risto Aapro
Marketing & Sales Manager - Felix Machado

The port of Beira in Moçambique is situated at the mouth of the Pungue River at Longitude 34º 50' E and Latitude 19º 51' S. Time Zone is GMT+2 hours. The town of Beira is relatively modern, having been founded at the same time as Johannesburg (late 19th century), after having been identified as a potential port by the Portuguese explorer Paive de Andrade. This activity and rush to create a port and town occurred during the scramble between the Portuguese and British over the occupation of land in eastern southern Africa, with the British (in the form of Cecil John Rhodes' Chartered Company), having a strong interest in securing a sea link for the newly chartered lands of Rhodesia.

De Andrade's report was followed by a hydrographic survey of the river and bar and in 1887 a Portuguese military post was established, out of which the town grew. Beira, which is now Moçambique's second largest city, took its name from the Portuguese crown prince D Luis Filipe, who had been given the title Prince of Beira - the latter place being a region in central Portugal.
 
By 1889 channel buoys marked the entrance to the Pungue estuary and six years later work began on the first landing stage. A wooden pier was also constructed to serve the railway, which was then under construction.
 
The railway was built to a narrow gauge (two foot) and reached Umtali (now Mutare) on the Rhodesian border in 1898, but was soon converted to the more practical Cape Gauge of 3ft 6ins (1067mm). The railway quickly became the lifeline of the port and for many years carried much of the cargo and passengers to and from the landlocked Rhodesias (now Zimbabwe and Zambia) as well as Nyasaland (now Malawi). During the UDI days of Rhodesia much of this traffic was lost to Beira and the port and town suffered accordingly. The civil war in Moçambique also took its effect, particularly with the loss through sabotage of the railway leading to Malawi and the mineral-rich Tete Province

By the mid to late 1920s construction of deepwater berths and improved anchorage at Beira had begun under the control of the company named Companhia do Porto da Beira, which continued to administer the port until 1949 when the Moçambique Ports & Railways Company (CFM) took over administrational control. On 15 October 1998 a joint venture was formed between Cornelder Holding, based in Rotterdam (67%) and CFM (33%) for the management of the Beira Ports (Container and General Cargo Terminals) by Cornelder de Moçambique (CdM).

Cornelder de Moçambique is now a key partner in the economic development of the east southern African region and a principal catalyst in promoting this development.

In its bid to spearhead economic development in the region CdM has engaged in a joint venture with a Zimbabwean Company located in Mutare (GMS Freight) where Dry Port facilities are being offered (inland container Terminal).

The port remains directly linked to the hinterland (Zimbabwe and Zambia) by road and rail networks, and currently by road only to Malawi. However, the Sena railway line linking Beira with Malawi and the Tete Province is currently being rehabilitated.

A pipeline constructed in 1960 links the port with Zimbabwe and Beira Port also has direct sea links to Europe, Asia and the world at large.

Beira port has a total of 11 berths stretching over a total length of 1994 meters, excluding berth number 1, which is reserved as a fishing harbor.

Beira is 319km from the Zimbabwe border at Machipanda and 685km by good condition road from Malawi via Nova Vanduzi. The port handles a variety of cargo from breakbulk, neo bulk and bulk including petroleum products.