Ngodwana Mill, situated in the province of Mpumalanga (South Africa) is a fully integrated kraft mill producing pulp for own consumption as well as newsprint and containerboard. (Sappi)

The Sappi group, one of the world’s largest manufacturer of gloss paper, plans to use the port of Maputo, in Mozambique to export to Asian markets a group official told financial news agency Bloomberg. Alex Thiel, who is responsible for the group’s business in Southern Africa, said that in October an agreement was reached with Dubai-based port operator DP World, which together with South African logistics group Grindrod and state company Portos e Caminhos de Ferro de Moçambique, is a partner in Maputo port company Empresa de Desenvolvimento do Porto de Maputo.

The Sappi group, which is also one of the world’s largest producers of dissolving wood pulp, plans to ship 10,000 containers per year via the port of Maputo as it is just 250 kilometres from the group’s factory in the South African province of Mpumalanga.

“We have decided to export via the port of Maputo in order to save money as the second-closet port, in Durban, is 650 kilometres from the factory,” said Thiel.

The Mpumalanga factory, which starting producing dissolving wood pulp at the end of July, has already reached 75 percent of its installed capacity of 210,000 tons per year, and is expected to achieve maximum production in February 2014. The wood pulp will be exported via the port of Maputo to China, India and Indonesia, where it will be used to make thread for the textile industry. Source: http://www.macauhub.com