Lobito - Nine hundred and sixty tons of copper, from Kolwezi, Democratic Republic of Congo, arrived on Sunday in the province of Benguela, in the experimental train managed by the Lobito Atlantic Railway (LAR) consortium.
According to its commercial director, Artur Silva, the next shipments are scheduled for the month of January 2024.
“We intend to increase it to 10,000 tons of copper and by the end of the year exceed the figure of 200,000 tons,” he said.
The train, with a composition of 16 wagons, departed from the municipality of Luau (Moxico) on December 29, covering 1,289 kilometers until it reached the railway city of Lobito.
He said that the goods, , will remain at the Port of Lobito for a few days for the necessary treatment for export to European and Asian international markets.
Meanwhile, the Benguela Railway commercial director, Fábio Carvalho, assured that the company is operating with a fleet of around 150 wagons.
Despite acknowledging that they are not enough, he assured that with them it is possible to respond to the demand.
Lobito Atlantic Railway consortium won the international tender for the exploration of the Lobito Corridor on September 4, 2021.
The contract for the transfer of the concession of rail and logistics support services for the Lobito Corridor was signed on July 4, 2023, in this railway city, in the presence of the Statesmen of Angola, Democratic Republic of Congo and Zambia, namely João Lourenço, Félix Tshisekedi and Hakainde Hichilema. CT/CRB/DOJ
