MPA to Extend Port with Rs 3.5 bn Investment in 3 Years

According to a source close to the Cargo Handling Corporation Limited (CHCL), there is a need to extend the space to allow more ships to dock.

 “We are forecasting that a bigger fleet of ships with a capacity of 8,000 containers will reach the island in the next three years. This in turn will lead to a fall in freight charges which will be largely beneficial to the port sector,” the source told The Independent on Monday.

 “We are adopting the same approach as that of the airport authority by undertaking massive investment designed to boost efficiency and service delivery,” the source added.

The government is looking at making the port a trans-shipment hub in the region which calls for the upgrading and modernisation of the terminal.

A source at the State Investment Corporation (SIC), one of the shareholders of CHCL, said that the extension of the port terminal will lead to an increase in revenue through large scale investment.

Port Louis Maritime Employees Association president, Alain Edouard, said it was a good sign that the MPA was undertaking huge investment. “This can only secure the jobs of employees,” Edouard said.

In September 2011and June 2012, there were talks of the MPA selling off 40 per cent of its stakes in the port in a quest for a strategic partner.

However, the move was shelved after the MPA proved it could undertake investment without a partner.