Dubai Ports (DP) World has expanded its existence in the Port of Maputo in south-eastern Africa's Mozambique by acquiring a 48.5 per cent stake in a firm controlling the port, local newspaper Gulf News reported yesterday.
DP World spent US$32 million in acquiring a 48.5 per cent stake of Portus Indico-Sociedade de Servicos Portuarios, which owns 51 per cent of Maputo Port Development Company (MPDC).
MPDC holds the concession for the overall Port of Maputo until 2018, extendable by another 10 years. In its existing business, DP World took over the container terminal at Maputo Port after it had bought Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Company (P&O) of Britain in 2006 and had controlled 60 per cent of Maputo International Port Services, which holds the lease of the 100,000-TEU per year capacity facility.
Maputo is one of the main transit points for goods into the southern African region and DP World is interested in handling both container and general cargo, the company's chief executive officer Mohammad Sharaf said.