Agencia de Informacao de Mocambique (Maputo)
9 January 2009
Maputo — The authorities in the northern Mozambican province of Cabo Delgado have fined four timber companies a total of 783,974 meticais (about 31,000 US dollars) for attempted illegal export of logs.
The four companies - Mofid, Pacifico Internacional, Kings Way and Thienhe - tried to send containers full of logs to Asia from the port in the provincial capital, Pemba.
The head of the Cabo Delgado Provincial Forestry and Wild Life Services, Castro Rassul, cited in Friday's issue of the Maputo daily "Noticias", said that the total amount of timber involved was 958.8 cubic metres. Over half of this amount, 519 cubic metres, was in containers owned by Mofid .
Pacifico Internacional was trying to smuggle out 233.5 cubic metres, Thienhe 168.8 cubic metres, and Kings Way 37.5 cubic metres.
The export of unprocessed hardwoods is forbidden - yet somehow these four companies had loaded the containers full of logs onto a ship before the whistle was blown, and the entire cargo was rechecked. This was only possible with the complicity of some officials in the forestry services.
. "Noticias" reports that other timber operators in Cabo Delgado are not satisfied with a simple fine. Mozambican companies in this area complain that this is not the first time that certain operators, "invariably Asian in origin" have broken the law on timber exports.
The Mozambican companies also found it strange that when these cases are denounced, the containers are already in the port or even on board ship. Such events give Pemba port a bad name. The seizure of dozens of containers full of logs in late December meant that a ship had to leave Pemba with no cargo at all. Companies fear that shipping lines will increase their charges from Pemba, because they perceive it as a risky port.
The companies are calling for a profound investigation, since such a large scale illegal operation would be impossible without the connivance of staff involved in checking and sealing containers before they are put on board ship.
Be the first to Write a Comment!
Copyright © 2009 Agencia de Informacao de Mocambique. All rights reserved. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com).
AllAfrica aggregates and indexes content from over 125 African news organizations, plus more than 200 other sources, who are responsible for their own reporting and views. Articles and commentaries that identify allAfrica.com as the publisher are produced or commissioned by AllAfrica.
