Mauritius saw record freight traffic of 6.4 million tonnes through its terminals in Port Louis during the 2007-2008 (July/June) financial year, the Mauritius Ports Authority (MPA) said in its annual report.
The island is pitching itself as a regional hub for both freight and cruise liner traffic.
A 25-year master plan focuses on increasing the port's capacity to one million containers per year and deepening its main navigational channel to allow larger vessels to enter.
The Indian Ocean island, which lies more than 5,000 km from its principal European and Asian markets, is heavily dependant on imports.
'For the first time, port traffic has crossed the level of six million tonnes to reach 6.4 million tonnes, an increase of 9 per cent over the previous financial year,' MPA director-general Shekur Suntah said in the report.
Total container traffic in the year increased to 323,393 containers, MPA said, adding that its container terminal is the second deepest container port in sub-Saharan Africa.
Later this month the MPA expects to begin operations at a new US$19 million oil jetty capable of accommodating tankers of up to 55,000 tonnes compared with 40,000 presently.
The MPA also plans to commission the construction of a 500 million rupee (S$23.1 million) cruise terminal at Les Salines, south of the capital, in September 2009.
But Mr Suntah cautioned that 'storm clouds are looming on the horizon' in the wake of the worldwide financial crisis and fears over the performance of the US dollar, pointing to a sharp decrease in Asia to Europe and Asia to US cargo volumes.
The island is pitching itself as a regional hub for both freight and cruise liner traffic.
A 25-year master plan focuses on increasing the port's capacity to one million containers per year and deepening its main navigational channel to allow larger vessels to enter.
The Indian Ocean island, which lies more than 5,000 km from its principal European and Asian markets, is heavily dependant on imports.
'For the first time, port traffic has crossed the level of six million tonnes to reach 6.4 million tonnes, an increase of 9 per cent over the previous financial year,' MPA director-general Shekur Suntah said in the report.
Total container traffic in the year increased to 323,393 containers, MPA said, adding that its container terminal is the second deepest container port in sub-Saharan Africa.
Later this month the MPA expects to begin operations at a new US$19 million oil jetty capable of accommodating tankers of up to 55,000 tonnes compared with 40,000 presently.
The MPA also plans to commission the construction of a 500 million rupee (S$23.1 million) cruise terminal at Les Salines, south of the capital, in September 2009.
But Mr Suntah cautioned that 'storm clouds are looming on the horizon' in the wake of the worldwide financial crisis and fears over the performance of the US dollar, pointing to a sharp decrease in Asia to Europe and Asia to US cargo volumes.