Shipping Heavy Equipment to Mozambique

Shipping Heavy Equipment to Mozambique from Houston

You need to move construction machinery, oil and gas equipment, or mining gear from Houston to Mozambique. Which port takes it, what does customs charge, and how long is the voyage to the southeast African coast? Mozambique is building out infrastructure, coal mining in Tete, and natural gas in the Rovuma Basin, so demand for imported heavy equipment runs high.

Texas International Freight books export shipments from Houston to Mozambique by ocean and air, prepares the export filing, and coordinates inland delivery to your site. We move the heavy and oversized cargo that parcel carriers cannot touch.

Which Mozambican Port Receives Your Cargo

Mozambique’s long coastline gives it three main gateways, each serving a different region and hinterland:

• Maputo in the south, the capital’s port, with the Matola terminal handling bulk and coal, also serving northeastern South Africa
• Beira in the centre, the start of the Beira Corridor that feeds landlocked Zimbabwe, Zambia, and Malawi
• Nacala in the north, a deepwater natural harbor and the end of the Nacala Corridor rail line from Malawi and the Tete coal fields

Which port sits closest to your delivery point?

How Your Equipment Reaches Mozambique

Cargo leaving Houston routes across the Atlantic and around the Cape of Good Hope to reach the Mozambique Channel, a sailing of roughly five to seven weeks depending on the service and transshipment, often through a hub such as Durban. Cargo moves in standard boxes, on flat-rack and open-top units, by roll-on roll-off, or as breakbulk for oversized pieces. Air freight into Maputo earns its premium for urgent spares and high-value parts.

Duties, VAT, and Customs

Mozambique and the United States have no free trade agreement, so US-origin equipment clears under most-favored-nation tariff rates. The Autoridade Tributária assesses import duty, and 16 percent IVA, the Mozambican value-added tax, applies on the import value. Some categories need import permits, so screening happens before booking. Our destination partners keep clearance moving so your cargo does not sit at the pier.

Documentation Requirements

Your document set for Mozambique covers the commercial invoice, the packing list, the bill of lading or air waybill, and the certificate of origin, plus any permits the commodity requires. Accurate values and full legal entity names keep clearance moving at both ends.

Moving Oversized and Heavy Cargo

Mining and energy projects rarely move one piece at a time. Drilling rigs, subsea and process equipment, excavators and crushers for the Tete coal operations, generator sets, and crawler cranes ship as breakbulk, on flat-rack and open-top units, by roll-on roll-off, or on a chartered vessel for a full project. Our crews handle export packing to ISPM 15, blocking and bracing, and lashing. For a multi-unit move, project logistics and vessel charter keep the whole shipment on one plan, with site and route surveys and heavy-lift handling built in.

Working With a Houston Freight Forwarder

Texas International Freight books vessel and aircraft space, prepares your AES export filing, coordinates with Mozambican customs and the destination agents, and arranges inland delivery from Maputo, Beira, or Nacala to your site. We hold deep experience in heavy equipment shipping, and the same desk runs your wider African lanes, including South Africa and the broader region covered in our shipping to Africa service. One forwarder, one point of contact, every leg of the move.