Transport
Likoma Port to be ready by end-November
September 06, 2024 / Francis TAYANJAH-PHIRI
State President Lazarus Chakwara inspecting construction work
BY FRANCIS TAYANJAH-PHIRI
Construction of Likoma Port is scheduled to finish by November 30 this year, when it will immediately start operating, the Marine Department says.
In an interview with Mining & Trade Review, the Department’s Chief Surveyor of Vessels Wilson Luwani rated the project at 85% completion.
He said the facility will be capable of handling two big ships at a time.
Luwani explained that currently there are ongoing construction works taking place for a fence, warehouse, and immigration/customs offices; and immediately after this, the port will be ready for operations.
“Apart from the docking bay, the facility [port] will have a warehouse, storage facilities, waiting shelter, jetty, and cargo handling equipment, among other things,” said Luwani.
He said the port was designed in a manner that it would not be prone to floods, as is the case with the Nkhata Bay one, which is currently submerged in water, following this year’s rising of water levels in most parts of Lake Malawi.
“This port was designed to handle the highest water levels ever recorded,” remarked Luwani.
However, he said the construction of the Port was not without challenges, citing, among others, shortage of fuel supply at the early stages of construction works.
“Other challenges were; water levels making it difficult to do works under the main platform and weather patterns including heavy winds on the lake which made it difficult to supply building materials,” said Luwani.
He said the other challenges included difficulty to find locally qualified personnel to do special professional works for instance underwater works, and the devaluation of the Malawi Kwacha along with inflation, which kept the contract sum rising.
Luwani disclosed that the total cost of this project was initially projected at MK10 billion, but rose to MK22 billion, due to the stated factors.
“The Government of Malawi funded the project, and the contractor is Mota-Engil,” he said.
Luwani stated that the port, once operational, will impact positively on the development of the Island district by ensuring improved efficiency in cargo handling.
“This will translate into increased trade operations; as it will enhance time saving and low operational costs with the jetty in place,” he said
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The establishment of a stable and self-sustaining ecosystem, but not necessarily the one that existed before mining began. In many cases, complete restoration may be impossible, but successful remediation, reclamation, and rehabilitation can result in the timely establishment of a functional ecosystem.
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The cleanup of the contaminated area to safe levels by removing or isolating contaminants. At mine sites, remediation often consists of isolating contaminated material in pre-existing tailings storage facilities, capping tailings and waste rock stockpiles with clean topsoil, and collecting and treating any contaminated mine water if necessary.
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