MasCon

Maseru container Terminal

BACKGROUND

Mascon History since taken over by government

Maseru Container Terminal is the only Rail terminal in Lesotho. It has been managed as a Private Sector business, but from 2013 to date is run by Ministry of Public Works and Transport under Planning department of the same ministry.

• Established in 2003 and registered as an inland container depot;
• total size of the station complex is ±2.7278 hectares
• The container depot covers ±19.500 square meters

FUNCTIONS

• To operate the terminal
• To provide full management services in order to cater for the needs of the immediate customer;
• To promote MASCON as a multipurpose terminal to provide services for both rail and road traffic;
• To establish and implement appropriate revenue collection mechanisms;
• To advise the government on appropriate maintenance of infrastructure at Mascon;
• To assist in development of MASCON into a Dry Port.

Mascon Terminal had an Administration section where documents are processed for the receival and release containers to clients. There were two personnel in the office for the above purpose.  The same personnel are still working in the office

Functions in Administration:

1. Container terminal order

A Container Terminal Order (CTO) is the document used to rerelease containers to their respective owners. The release of these containers is done in conjunction with the Lesotho Revenue Authority who without their approval no Containers would be released to the client accordingly.

2. Containers’ Recording

All the imports, exports and stored containers are recorded daily by the Security personnel in Mascon.  The recording also known in our terminal term as “Tracking system” enabled our office to keep track of all the activities taking place in the terminal with regard to the containers.

3. Pricing /Billing

Pricing Schedule: The pricing regime/structure currently in use at MASCON was initially introduced and adopted by Transnet Freight Rail before it severed ties with GoL in 2009. It was then adopted with minor modifications by InfraDev and has stayed the same since then because GoL took them as is and the rates are as follows:

MASCON fees Table:

MSC Empties:

Billing and Invoicing is done by the Ministry’s respective Department of Planning until the facility could totally be hande over to new management. Our office provides list of Import /Export and Stored containers on daily basis to the ministry which they would employ to generate Invoices. Prior collaboration which the Shipping Lines to compare our list before the latter is done.

Operations:

MACHINERY:

The above was another section of Mascon Terminal where containers were loaded and offloaded from wagons and delivery trucks. We also had two personnel as the Reach stacker Operators. We had two 45 ton SANY Reach Stackers that we used to stack, deliver and load containers from the daily train (Transnet).  At the time of handover, both Reach Stackers were NOT Operational. On the 13^th December 2017 the Reach Stacker broke down and operation ceased functioning.

In regards to the pavement, it poses a problem during rainy weathers where the paving stones get dislocated and creating potholes which causes Reach stacker tyres to wear out rapidly.

Shipping Lines/ our Clients

• MAERSK /SAFMARINE:
• MEDITERRANEAN SHIPPING COMPANY
• CHARINA SHIPS /MOL

MASCON Residential Houses

There are four MASCON residential houses. Two are occupied by then MASCON employees, one by TRANSNET employee and the other one by Lesotho Government employee from Department of Traffic and Transport. The three of them encompass the servants quarters houses while the other one does not have.