Lobito railway receives first Congo shipment after flood repairs

Lobito Atlantic Railway received its first copper shipment from the Democratic Republic of Congo since reopening a flood-damaged section of the corridor, restoring traffic on a key export route for central African minerals.

The link between the port of Lobito and Huambo, closed for about two months because of severe flooding, was restored after emergency repairs, the railway operator said in a June 13 statement.

“The arrival of this first international train from the DRC demonstrates the resilience of our operation and the extraordinary commitment of our teams,” LAR chief executive officer Nicholas Fournier said in the statement.

LAR said it maintained cargo flows during the disruption through a contingency plan that saw freight transferred between trains and trucks on either side of the flood-damaged section of the track.

The corridor is a key conduit for copper and cobalt exports from Congo to the Atlantic and forms part of Western-backed efforts to develop transport links for critical minerals.

(By Candido Mendes)