…… as fuel imports by rail on Nacala Corridor resume
The country’s fuel reserves have been boosted by an additional 500 000 litres coming in through Mozambican port of Nacala Port, a facility President Lazarus McCarthy Chakwera visited recently during his state visit to Mozambique.
The resumption of operations follows Chakwera’s relentless efforts to get the railway lines linking Malawi to both Nacala and Beira ports back into business of bringing cargo into Malawi at a cheaper cost.
Announcing this news Petroleum Importers Limited (PIL) General Manager Martin Msimuko said the country can now breathe a sigh of relief that the rail transport has resumed after a break following the damage of the rail infrastructure.
“The resumption of rail transport is great news to this country as it will facilitate the transportation of goods especially fuel into the country. Certainly, this development will translate into the reduction of transportation costs,” said Msimuko.
Malawi has been braving high transportation cost on fuel as it has been transported through Tanzania by road, which is costly as compared to rail haulage.
Figures show that it costs an average of $0.06 (about K61.23) to $0.08 (about K81.64) per tonne per kilometer to transport goods by rail while freight or road transport costs $0.10 (about 102.05) to $0.12 (about K122.46) per tonne per kilometre.