The Lobito Atlantic Railway (LAR) consortium has received the first vessel at the Port of Lobito’s mineral terminal, marking the start of the group’s port operations in Angola.

LAR is the concession holder for the operation, management and maintenance of the railway linking Angola to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

Bulk cargo vessel MV Lindsaylou docked at the port on July 12, with 40 500 t of sulphur on board. It was loaded in Qatar and arrived in Lobito after a one-month journey.

The unloading and storage of the cargo is being carried out entirely with local labour and equipment sourced from Angola. Unloading operations are following required environmental and safety procedures, including using two automatic hoppers designed and manufactured in Angola, LAR states.

The cargo, first stored at the mineral terminal in bags, will then be placed on LAR international cargo trains bound for the DRC to support refined copper production by mining companies based in the Katanga area.

LAR president Francisco Franca says the group remains committed to what is considered the most important logistics corridor in the region and to increasing the volumes of railway and port operations to achieve the strategic objectives of the government of Angola in this important corridor of regional economic development.

The start of LAR's port operations comes after rehabilitation work was carried out following the start of railway operations in January this year. These works have, so far, enabled the circulation of 1 800 trains – including passenger and freight trains – with two international freight trains each week travelling from the DRC to the Port of Lobito and about 50 domestic freight trains each month.

LAR expects six more international freight trains to be in transit each day following further planned investments.

The project to refurbish the railway line represents an investment of more than $800-million over the lifetime of the concession.

The investment is enabling the renovation of sections of the railway line and associated infrastructure, in addition to investment in wagons and locomotives.

A financing package, which includes a potential investment by the US International Development Finance Corporation, is currently under discussion.

LAR has already started buying rolling stock, as well as undertaking maintenance work on the existing line.

Currently more than 650 workers are employed by the consortium, focused on maintenance and improvement operations on the line from Lobito to Luau at the DRC border and on the mineral terminal.