P&O Maritime is increasing capabilities at the Port of Maputo, Mozambique, with the delivery of a new tug boat.
The new 60-tonne Azimuth Stern Drive (ASD) tug, named Sereia, will begin enter service at the end of the month.
Built under P&O Maritime supervision by Turkish company Sanmar, the Sereia will join its sister ship, Bulani, a pilot boat and mooring vessel already operating at the port.
The vessels form part of a US$15 million package of investments that P&O Maritime agreed with the Maputo Port Development Company (MPDC) in November 2012.
Managing Director of P&O Maritime, Rado Antolovic celebrated the announcement saying: “This new vessel will add to our capabilities in Maputo, providing additional assets to handle increased traffic through the port.”
“I am delighted that MPDC have taken the decision and we look forward to working with them,” he declared.
The Port of Maputo was built to act as hub for supply and export of goods from land-locked countries on the eastern coast of Africa.
The port primarily handles food and consumer based produce. Exports account for almost 90 percent of total cargo throughput, consisting mostly of transit cargo from neighbouring countries such as coal, magnetite, chrome ore, manganese ore, stainless steel and sugar.
