Ports & Trade Corridors
The cheapest route is not always the closest port. We compare the region's corridors on border times, rail capacity, stockpile space and vessel availability.
Nine gateways, one plan.
Southern Africa's minerals leave through a handful of ports, each linked to the mines by road and rail corridors. Gleatz helps exporters and buyers choose the right one: Maputo and Matola on the Maputo Corridor, Richards Bay and Durban in KwaZulu-Natal, Beira and Nacala in Mozambique, Walvis Bay in Namibia, Dar es Salaam in Tanzania, Saldanha on the iron ore line and Lobito in Angola.
For every shipment we look at the border crossing, rail capacity, terminal and stockpile space, vessel size and the total landed cost – then we book the route end to end.
Ports & corridorsPorts & Corridors services
Everything between the mine gate and the buyer's port, booked as one plan.
Maputo Corridor
Gauteng, Mpumalanga and Limpopo to Maputo and Matola via Lebombo / Ressano Garcia – the main route for chrome, coal and magnetite.
Richards Bay & Durban
South Africa's main bulk and container ports for coal, chrome, ferroalloys and general cargo.
Beira Corridor
Zimbabwe, Zambia and Malawi to the Port of Beira by road and rail.
Nacala Corridor
Tete coal, Malawi and northern Mozambique cargo to the deep-water port of Nacala.
North–South Corridor
Copperbelt cargo south through Zambia, Zimbabwe and Botswana to Durban.
Dar es Salaam Corridor
Zambia and DRC cargo east through Tanzania.
Walvis Bay Corridor
Zambia and DRC cargo west through Namibia.
Lobito Corridor
DRC and Zambia copper by rail to the Atlantic.
Five steps, one partner.
How we move ports & corridors from origin to buyer.
Brief
Commodity, volume, origin and buyer port.
Compare
Corridors compared on time, capacity and landed cost.
Book
Trucks, rail, terminal and vessel booked together.
Clear
Border and port documents prepared in advance.
Track
Milestones and documents in your client portal.
Example lanes.
Every route is planned and quoted per shipment. These are typical lanes for ports & corridors.
| Cargo | Origin | Gateway | Mode | Corridor |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chrome Ore from Steelpoort Za to Maputo by road+rail via Maputo Corridor | ||||
| Coal from Moatize Mz to Nacala by rail via Nacala Corridor | ||||
| Iron Ore from Sishen Za to Saldanha by rail via Sishen-Saldanha | ||||
| Copper from Kitwe Zm to Dar Es Salaam by road+rail via Dar Corridor | ||||
| Cobalt from Kolwezi Cd to Durban by road via North-South | ||||
| Lithium from Bikita Zw to Beira by road via Beira Corridor | ||||
| Copper from Kolwezi Cd to Lobito by rail via Lobito Corridor | ||||
| Zinc Conc from Namibia to Walvis Bay by road via Walvis Bay |
Example lanes. Every route is planned and quoted per shipment.
Plan my laneThe right port, not the nearest one.
Johannesburg & Maputo
Teams at both ends of the Maputo Corridor.
Neutral comparison
We compare corridors on facts – border times, capacity and cost – before recommending one.
End-to-end booking
Road, rail, terminal and vessel booked as one plan.
Live visibility
Shipment milestones and documents in the Gleatz client portal.
Ports & corridorsPorts & corridors logistics FAQs
Can't find your answer? Call +27 63 960 0523 or message us on WhatsApp.
Which is the best port for exporting minerals from South Africa?
What is the Maputo Corridor?
Which corridors serve the Copperbelt?
Do you book rail as well as trucks?
Can you compare two corridors for my cargo?
More mining logistics
Dedicated logistics for each commodity and corridor. Pick the one that matches your cargo.
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Get a ports & corridors freight quote.
Tell us what you are shipping and where. A Gleatz specialist replies with a rate and a transit plan, usually the same working day.