Find Freight, Shipping and Logistics expertise in Mauritius

The well-maintained road infrastructure in Mauritius is used for inland freight services, whilst it sees high levels of sea freight through Port Louis. The value of Mauritius’ exports of goods to the rest of the world stood at €1.5billion in 2010, significantly less than imports of goods, valued at €3.1billion. In 2011 the main import partner was the European Union, with 23.4%, followed closely by India with 22.4%.  Export partners were dominated by the European Union, this time with a 64.9% share, leading by a long way compared to the second place United States with a 10.2% share.

The only commercial port is in Port Louis, the capital.  It is the largest container facility in the Indian Ocean, accommodating fourth and fifth generation container vessels. Competitive logistics at the seaport and airport make Mauritius an attractive option as a distribution platform. Over 120,000m² of freeport infrastructures are available, including dry warehouses, cold rooms, processing units and integrated office facilities. There is also a purpose-built cargo terminal at the international airport, also located at Port Louis, which offers additional export transportation. The sole national port authority is the Mauritius Marine Authority, established under the Ports Act 1998 in order to regulate and control the port sector, and provides the main port infrastructure and superstructure, along with related facilities. A private dry dock and ship repair facilities are operated by Taylor Smith Group, while a second facility providing a 150-meter dry dock and a ship construction and repair workshop is operated by Chantier Naval de l’Ocean Indien Ltd.

The country possesses numerous companies operating sea freight, with major container liner services including Maersk Line, Mediterranean Shipping Limited and Mauritius Shipping Corporation. The World Bank’s Logistics Performance Index (2012) placed Mauritius 59^th out of 155 countries in terms of infrastructure, with a value of 2.83 out of 5, above the average score of 2.29 for a sub-Saharan nation.

There are several express courier service providers and freight forwarders located in Mauritius. Freight services are largely operated by international companies, which provide sea, air and inland transportation. Consultancy services for transportation and logistics in the country are largely provided by local firms.

In the World Bank Logistic Performance Index (2012), Mauritius placed 72^nd out of 155 countries, with a score of 2.82 which was 58.2% of the highest performer, Singapore. Each country is scored from one to five, with one being the worst performance in terms of logistics, infrastructure and customs amongst other categories. The value found it the third highest sub-Saharan nation, closely following Benin at 67^th and Botswana at 68^th. In relation to customs it placed 72^nd and in terms of international shipping it found itself 113^th. The country was placed similarly in relation to regional competitors in terms of logistical competence, tracking and tracing, and timeliness, coming 85^th, 69^th and 52^nd respectively.