According to Lobito Atlantic Railway (LAR), copper shipments have also been exported to ports in Europe and the Far East since the concession began in January.
The copper cathode cargo was destined for Baltimore (state of Maryland, on the west coast) and arrived in Lobito on Monday on a train operated by LAR, six days after leaving Kolwezi (Democratic Republic of Congo).
"This shipment highlights the growing supply of services by international shipping companies at the Port of Lobito, a fact that will boost the growing development of our operations and regular shipments of raw materials to Europe and America", said Francisco Franca, Chairman of the Board of Directors of LAR, quoted in the press release.
A month ago, the mineral terminal at the Port of Lobito began LAR's port operations with a cargo ship loaded with 40,500 tons of sulphur.
For now, LAR is currently transporting only sulphur and copper, but "in the future, it may transport fuel and goods in general", a source from the company told Lusa.
LAR expects to receive new wagons in December, which it ordered around two months ago from a South African company, according to the same source.
The LAR consortium, made up of Trafigura, Mota-Engil and Vecturis, obtained the concession for the operation, management and maintenance of the Lobito railway corridor in 2022, and since January has been operating, managing and maintaining the railway line that stretches for 1,300 kilometres in Angola, between the Port of Lobito and Luau, in the East, and which connects with the railway network managed by the National Railway Company of Congo, in the Democratic Republic of Congo, to Kolwezi, the heart of the Copper Belt.
The rehabilitation project for this logistics corridor, supported by the governments of Angola, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Zambia and the U.S. Government’s Global Infrastructure Investment Partnership, represents an investment of more than 500 million dollars over the life of the concession.
A separate pre-feasibility study, supported by the U.S. and the European Union, is underway for the extension of the Lobito railway line to northern Zambia.
