ANGOLA: COPPER AND VITAL MINERAL SUPPLIES PILE UP AT LOBITO PORT. STRICKEN BY LABOUR TROUBLES.

Record ID: 1063499

  • Title: ANGOLA: COPPER AND VITAL MINERAL SUPPLIES PILE UP AT LOBITO PORT. STRICKEN BY LABOUR TROUBLES.
  • Date: 18th December 1974
  • Summary: 1. GTV PAN Shipping in harbour 0.19 2. GV Ships waiting to enter dock 0.26 3. GV ZOOM OUT FROM Shipping 0.30 4. TV Zine on railway trucks 0.37 5. SV Zine being loaded onto ship 0.46 6. CU Sisal from Angola being loaded 0.54 7. CU Destination sign on train (2 shots) 1.05 8. GV PAN Rhosdesian train 1.12 9. CU Rhodesian sign on train 1.17 10. CU ZOOM OUT RR (Rhdesian railways) stamp on train 1.26 11. GV Copper from Zambia on carriers 1.34 12. GV Copper carried by transporter 1.49 13. SV Men unloading copper from railway truok 2.06 14. TV Copper and zinc on quayside 2.26 Initials BB/1735 TH/AW/BB/1757 Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved
  • Embargoed: 1st January 1975 12:00
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  • Location: LOBITO, ANGOLA
  • Country: Angola
  • Reuters ID: LVA6J0VBR9N7JT85PMT7YP5H559D
  • Story Text:During the past months, as many as twenty ships at a time have been queueing up for berths in Angola's principal transit port of Lobito.

    The congestion, resulting partly from the recent heavy increase in traffic to Zaire and Zambia along the Benguela Railway out of Lobito, has been aggravated by a series of labour disputes. Strikes ceased to be illegal in Angola following the April coup in Portugal this year.

    Initial labour troubles during the summer seemed to have been solved by August, when it was reported that dockers had received wage increases of as much as 100 per cent. But during October the port was completely paralysed by a new strike, reportedly backed by militants of the Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola (MPLA).

    At the same time, there have been reports of bad management structure at the port, with problems affecting Lobito having to be referred to Luanda for decisions.

    Copper - most of it from Zambia, but some from Zaire -- is the port's lifeblood and authorities are giving priority to clearing the backlog currently awaiting shipment. At the end of November, there were over 47,000 tonnes of copper on the quayside at Lobito.

    With ships waiting as long as 40 days for a berth at Lobito, a variety of other goods are affected. Imports to landlocked Zambia are high on the list, including sugar, machinery and spare parts.

    There's also traffic from Rhodesia, loaded aboard Rhodesia railways freight wagons, tough there is little information about the nature of Rhodesian gods shipped through Lobito.
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