• Angola’s Port of Namibe receives four Japan-financed support vessels
• $600M terminal upgrade boosts ore export capacity to 10M tonnes
• Investments aim to cut costs, link DRC and Zambia to global markets
  

The Port of Namibe in southern Angola has taken delivery of four new specialized vessels to support operations at its container terminal and the adjacent Saco Mar ore terminal. The new fleet includes two ASD 2813 tugboats, one Stan Pilot 1905 pilot vessel, and one Pushy Cat 1004 workboat.

The four vessels, jointly financed by the Angolan government and Japan, are designed for towing, docking assistance, ship salvage, and coastal surveillance. Their arrival comes as the port prepares to commission newly modernized infrastructure across both terminals.

The $600 million expansion and modernization of the Saco Mar terminal added a 520-meter-long, 18-meter-wide jetty capable of handling vessels up to 250,000 tonnes and processing up to 10 million tonnes of ore annually.

Namibe Province, whose capital is Moçâmedes, holds significant reserves of copper, manganese, chromium, tin, and lignite. Transport Minister Ricardo D’Abreu said the investments will reduce logistics costs as Angola seeks to position itself as a key route for exporting critical minerals from the Democratic Republic of Congo and Zambia.

Henoc Dossa