Mozambique | Foreign shippers authorized to operate along coast

Foreign ship owners can operate cabotage (coasting trade) service in Mozambique per the terms of a government-approved decree-law, Transport and Communications Minister Carlos Mesquita announced in Maputo.
Mesquita stated at the end of the Tuesday Council of Ministers meeting that the decision was meant to boost activity and offer a transport alternative, enabling both national and foreign ship owners to invest “under equal circumstances, benefiting from the same treatment and arrangements offered by the state.”
The reactivation of coasting service will help achieve economies of scale and thereby lower product prices, making them more affordable for the population, Mesquita added, cited by the Maputo-based daily Notícias.
“To encourage foreign investors’ entry in the coasting trade, the government considered regulatory instruments that guarantee priority for ship mooring and lower port fees in national harbours,” he said.
Without revealing percentages, Mesquita said the reduction of fees charged by the national maritime (Inamar) and hydrography and navigation (Inahina) institutes had also been approved to eventually benefit ship owners and the population. MDT/Macauhub