GLOBAL GATEWAY
As DP World continues to develop its container terminal and surrounding infrastructure at Maputo, the firm's customer-centric ethos and bold plans for expansion are placing it on the regional map
Maputo – nestled on Africa’s south-eastern coast, the Mozambican capital serves a crucial gateway to the region’s vast economic hinterland.
Originally named after Portuguese trader Lourenco Marques, who first explored the area in 1544, the city’s container terminal has emerged as an important conduit linking local industrial endeavours (such as mining) to the markets of eastern and southern Asia.
And with enviable land connections to the likes of South Africa, Zimbabwe and Eswatini, as well as sea connections via shipping lines travelling to Europe and the Middle East, India, and East Asia, Maputo can rightly be regarded as a global transit hub.
DP World has been managing, developing and operating the Maputo container terminal since it acquired previous stakeholder P&O in 2006, with Mozambique International Port Services being renamed to DP World Maputo two years later.
Christian Roeder is the company’s CEO. An industry veteran who has spent many years in Southern Africa having started his career at Maersk, the region’s steady growth and still undoubted potential to develop further is what has kept him here for more than 15 years.
“There are certainly exciting developments occurring, and to be a part of it has been a very rewarding experience,” Roeder says.
“In terms of imports and exports a lot of people are dependent on this port to access not only Mozambique, but the wider region and countries like South Africa. East-west trade dominates with very little movement between north and south, and Maputo is right on the end of one of several east-west trade corridors that run through the country, while also serving India.
“It is therefore our obligation to Mozambican clients who must use us to keep costs down, and improve our efficiencies. If we can help keep the cost of trade down, we will have done our job.”
“...WE PUT THE CUSTOMER AT THE CENTRE OF OUR THINKING AND THAT IS REFLECTED BY THE REPEAT BUSINESS WE RECEIVE, AND THAT IS CRUCIAL”
– CHRISTIAN ROEDER, CEO
THE DP WORLD WAY
As part of the largest marine terminal operator in the world, DP World Maputo carries considerable brand trust, its core activities being centred around the discharging and loading of containers in vessels.
For Roeder, the firm’s customer- centric approach to doing business is what stands it apart, the CEO determined to breakdown what has been a misguided perception about using Mozambique for transit.
“I think there has been a psychological barrier for quite some time,” Roeder says, “with fears about bureaucracy and the different language here.
“However, we put the customer at the centre of our thinking and that is reflected by the repeat business we receive, and that is crucial. I know this because I have been on the other side
as a port user many times, and I know how frustrating it can be to deal with bureaucracy and inefficiencies.
“We therefore try to be proactive and tackle issues such as gate congestion, and put in a lot of energy into dealing with customer enquiries regarding container releases as quickly as possible.
“It is also important to look at our operations with a wider lens. For instance, if it takes several hours for a truck to get in and out of port, then the fact we can service them within 20 minutes once they are here makes it a somewhat meaningless KPI. We look at how we fit into the end-to-end logistics process. This perspective, I believe, makes us different.”
Indeed, making life easier for customers is engrained in organisational culture around the world, its stated purpose being: a global approach to a local business