Russian ship docks in Beira

...while the WFP's cargo of Russian fertiliser is made to wait

Good afternoon. A mysterious Russian vessel has docked in Beira’s fishing port today, having caused controversy in South Africa where it made a secret stop at a naval base. Its purpose for being in Beira is unclear, and the cause of further speculation.

There is another Russian cargo which is waiting off Beira to unload, however. The World Food Programme (WFP) chartered the MV Greenwich at the end of November to bring a cargo of fertiliser donated by Russian firm Uralchem-Uralkali, as it was otherwise stuck in European warehouses due to sanctions.

Its first port of call was Beira, where it is to offload fertiliser for Malawian farmers to help them overcome the effects of the fertiliser shortage that the war in Ukraine has caused. The sailing of the ship was seen as a diplomatic victory — and, in the words of the WFP, came “not a minute too soon.”

Unfortunately, having arrived off Beira on 31 December, the ship is still waiting to dock — something which will not happen until 1 February at the earliest, according to Russian news agency Tass. There is currently a long queue to get in to Beira port — which, industry sources tell us, is not being managed efficiently. Malawi’s farmers will have to keep waiting.

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Today’s headlines:

• Sanctioned Russian ship docks in Beira

• Construction materials to face price controls

• Gas cylinders sold in Sofala consistently underweight

• Train-truck crash interrupts traffic on Goba line and N2