P&O Maritime FZE, a specialist provider of shipping and marine logistics solutions, has announced plans to expand its operations to the East African nation of Mozambique.

Over many years, P&O Maritime has expanded its service offering, moving into several geographic locations and now provides global maritime excellence across Australasia, Europe, South America and the Middle East & Africa.

The company is now set to provide management, pilotage, mooring services, crewing and maintenance for tugs, pilot boats and mooring boats along with other marine services at the Port of Maputo.

Under an agreement signed with the Port of Maputo, P&O Maritime will invest in new, state of the art assets as well as  training and development of local people at the port over a period of ten years.

Gary Dockerty, the executive general manager, P&O Maritime, Middle East and Africa said, "We plan to develop a pool of maritime personnel working in partnerships with local stakeholders for the benefit of Mozambique. We look forward to being able to contribute even further to improving supply chain efficiency and supporting the expansion of Mozambique’s economy.”

Osorio Lucas, the interim CEO, Port of Maputo said: “The port of  Maputo is an efficient entry port for goods destined for Mozambique and its extensive hinterland as well as for exporters in the region. We look forward to working with P&O Maritime to maximise every opportunity to serve customers even better in the years ahead.”

P&O, which originated from Beaufort Shipping Agency; the ship and operations agency of the Peninsular & Oriental Steam Navigation Company (P&O) vessels in Australia, provides key marine services partnering with governments and the private sector alike.-TradeArabia News Service