Nacala, Mozambique, 26 June 2019: Grindrod Limited (Grindrod), the JSE listed freight and financial services company, is proud to announce the official inauguration of its cross-dock facility in Nacala on 28 June 2019. Grindrod and its subsidiaries are honoured that his excellency Filipe Nyusi, the president of Mozambique, will be marking the official opening of this impressive facility.
Twigg Exploration and Mining Limitada, a fully owned subsidiary of Syrah Resources Limited (inclusive of Syrah’s subsidiaries, Syrah Group), developed a major graphite project in northern Mozambique, near Balama and in 2017 the Syrah Group awarded the logistics contract to the Grindrod. The contract is to transport bagged graphite from Balama to Nacala for export, a distance of 500 km.
To service this contract, Grindrod invested in a fleet of long-haul trucks and developed a 60,000 m² facility, including a 10 000m² warehouse, a container yard with a capacity of 3 500 TEUs, and a transport yard near to the port; the facility was operational in June 2018. Besides the significant investment of US$24 000 000 in infrastructure and equipment, the operation currently employs 350 Mozambican people (including sub-contractors).
Key services offered by Grindrod include long-haul transport from the mine to the warehouse in Nacala, storage and containerisation of the product, short-haul transport of the laden containers into the port as well as customs clearing services. The graphite is then shipped all over the world.
Grindrod works closely with business communities, local transporters, port and local authorities and is committed to the empowerment and upliftment of the community. Grindrod’s ‘Community Engagement Plan’ will span the full 500km of road between Balama and Nacala with specific emphasis on road safety.
Grindrod is committed to contributing to the growth of the Mozambican economy and remains focused on unlocking trade corridors and increasing trade capacity.