The export of 960 tons of raw copper ore, from the Kolwezi region, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), to the international market, which was scheduled to begin on Monday, 8th, should only begin on the 18th of this month.
The information was provided by the Commercial Director of Lobito Atlantic Railway (LAR), Artur Silva.
However, there was no need to clarify the reasons underlying the change in the shipment date and the destination of the cargo, opting only to say that the copper is located at the Multipurpose Terminal of the Port of Lobito where “the bagging is being carried out and subsequently put in containers.”
“For now we are working within the multipurpose terminal and I estimate that the next shipment that arrives will be accommodated at the Mineiro Terminal, a structure that is operated by LAR” summarized Artur Silva.
The Multipurpose Container and General Cargo Terminal at the Port of Lobito has a total area of 241,540.94 square meters, a berth of 1,199 linear meters and the capacity to handle more than 600 thousand tons of non-containerized cargo and 250 thousand TEU ( unit equivalent to 20 feet) per year.
The Mining Terminal appears to have been developed essentially with the immense mineral wealth of the Democratic Republic of Congo in mind, with the Port of Lobito providing the quickest outlet to the sea to supply the great powers of Asia.
The infrastructure, which is managed by the corridor consortium, has a direct connection to the railway network, has the capacity to move three million tons on average per year, and receives ships weighing up to 50 thousand tons as it has a draft of 15.30 meters.
It is recalled that the train, made up of 17 vehicles (including a GE locomotive, model C30ACi) and 16 LC type wagons, departed from Luau station, in the province of Moxico, and covered 1,289 kilometers in 38 hours, until arriving at Porto Comercial from Lobito.
For Lobito Atlantic Railways it was the first train, incidentally, of an experimental nature, of many others expected from January 2024, aiming to transport ten thousand tons of ores from the Katanga region, in the Democratic Republic, via the Lobito Corridor. from Congo.
