SAFMAR announced earlier in the week that the channel was obstructed by the ship "Pongola", a cargo vessel registered in Antigua, that ran aground in the channel on Monday. This accident was blamed on the bad weather that hit the area that day.
Speaking to reporters after a visit to the channel, Salomao said that the channel is not blocked, but it needs better signalling for safe navigation.
"This was the conclusion we reached with the port authorities", he said. "Port technicians and pilots concluded that it is possible to maintain the port accessible for a single basic reason: the grounded ship is not obstructing the channel.
The initial perception was that the ship was obstructing the channel and this is why SAFMAR issued the release saying that the channel was barred".
He recalled that Beira port is problematic in terms of access. The Pungue and Buzi rivers pour large amounts of silt into the harbour, and Salomao announced that one of the country's large dredging vessels will return to Beira shortly to work on the channel and render navigation safer.
He said that the publicly owned ports and railways company, CFM, has been working to widen the access channel.
The Mozambican authorities met last week with a Dutch company to discuss ways to do a more thorough job to ensure better safety for shipping using the port. "This seems to be the final solution, and these works are to continue", said Salomao.
Fonte: AIM
