Logistics services in Mozambique.

Mozambique logistics overview: modes, trade and gateways

Logistics services in Mozambique connect sea, air, rail and road. Containers move through about 489,000 TEU of seaborne trade a year, with Maputo and Beira as main ports and a coastline of about 2,470 km. Maputo and Beira both have rail links, and the rail network covers about 4,787 km.

Air freight uses a network of 11 airports with scheduled service. Cross-border trucking links to Malawi, South Africa, Eswatini, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe, supporting regional trade in coal, natural gas, aluminum, gold and refined petroleum.

Freight forwarders in Mozambique need to coordinate sea, air, rail and road routings through ports such as Maputo and Beira and their hinterland connections. Mozambique handles about 8.1 billion USD in exports and about 9.2 billion USD in imports, with strong trade flows to India, China, South Africa and the UAE.

The country is in SADC and the AU and is a WTO member, which shapes regional routing and rules. When selecting freight forwarders in Mozambique, consider how they perform on customs and logistics processes, given an overall logistics performance index of 2.68 and a customs score of 2.49. Major container lines including CMA CGM, COSCO, Evergreen, ONE, Maersk, OOCL, PIL, APL, Emirates Shipping Line, Gold Star Line, Hapag-Lloyd and MSC have offices in main port cities.

Container shipping from Mozambique focuses on Maputo and Beira, both medium-sized ports with cargo berths and rail connections inland. Maputo has cargo pier depth of about 15.4 m and Beira about 7.9 m, handling part of the country’s container flow of roughly 489,000 TEU. Smaller ports such as Inhambane, Chinde and Mocambique can support limited sea access, though they lack the scale of the main hubs.

Liner shipping connectivity stood at about 14.13, and the country ranked 84th of 169 worldwide on that index, indicating regular container services. Major shipping lines with offices in Mozambique include CMA CGM, COSCO, Evergreen, ONE, Maersk, OOCL, PIL, APL, Emirates Shipping Line, Gold Star Line, Hapag-Lloyd and MSC, present in Maputo, Beira and Nacala. These carriers support both FCL and LCL options via their global networks.

Air freight in Mozambique moves through 11 airports with scheduled services, including Beira International Airport, Maputo Airport, Nampula Airport, Tete Airport and Chimoio Airport. Measured air cargo traffic is about 3 million tonne-km.

Air can support time-sensitive exports such as higher-value minerals or precious stones, and urgent imports like refined petroleum or industrial inputs. Airport access complements seaport and rail options for inland locations that are far from Maputo or Beira.

Rail and road freight in Mozambique link ports to inland neighbors. The rail network has about 4,787 km, and Maputo and Beira ports both connect to rail, supporting inland coal, natural gas and mineral flows.

Overland trade uses borders with Malawi, South Africa, Eswatini, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe. Rail freight activity has been recorded at about 1.2 billion tonne-km, and most cross-border cargo chains combine trucking with rail and ocean legs through Mozambique’s ports.

Customs clearance in Mozambique operates within WTO rules and World Customs Organization standards, with WCO membership since 1987. Mozambique applies average tariffs of about 4.19 percent and belongs to SADC and the AU, which influences regional trade conditions.

The logistics performance index score is 2.68, with a customs score of 2.49 compared to a world median of 2.6. Export border procedures take about 3 days and imports about 5 days. Standard documents such as commercial invoice, packing list and transport document are used to support clearance.