[SMM Chromium News]

[Zimbabwe Taps Rail to Cut Chrome, Ferrochrome Road-Freight Load — New US$1.5M West Nicholson Siding Begins First Bulk-Mineral Shipments to Maputo] 1. Zimbabwe's Beitbridge Bulawayo Railway (BBR) commissioned a US$1.5 million transshipment rail siding at West Nicholson, Matabeleland South, on Monday — built in partnership with private operator Silvergill Logistics and state-owned National Railways of Zimbabwe (NRZ). 2. The siding is engineered to handle chrome, ferrochrome and other bulk minerals, moving output by rail to the Port of Maputo — the same corridor Zimasco already uses to ship ferrochrome from its Kwekwe smelters. 3. BBR General Manager Kumbulani Tendai Mabvura said the project is a declaration that "rail is back at the center of national logistics" for Zimbabwe's bulk minerals trade. 4. Cost relief: BBR and the Ministry of State for Matabeleland South frame the siding as easing pressure on the road network, cutting road-maintenance bills and truck congestion — costs that have been inflating landed prices of Zimbabwean chrome and ferrochrome. 5. Bulk-friendly shift: Rail is positioned as the safer, more efficient mode for bulk mineral freight, supporting Zimbabwe's push to scale ferrochrome output toward 1 million tonnes/year under the proposed Palm River project. 6. Timing: The siding opens as Zimbabwe's 2025 ferro-alloy sales rose 19% y/y to 433,293 tonnes (US$372 million, per MMCZ), even as chrome ore concentrate exports stagnated and revenue fell 12% — reinforcing rail as a national priority for chrome/ferrochrome tonnage.

[South Africa has introduced a range of measures to improve transport conditions at the Port of Durban, yet chromium ore shipments continue to suffer from congestion and corridor bottlenecks.] News report, July 22, 2026: According to public data, the operational improvements at the Port of Durban in South Africa have received new recognition this week, yet terminal congestion has re-emerged with severe delays on land transport corridors. Public statistics on vessel waiting times compiled in early July show that the vessel delay indicator at the Port of Durban has climbed to approximately four days, compared with roughly two days in the previous week. Delays at Richards Bay/Nkula Port, another major bulk mineral export gateway, remain at around five days. For chromium-related products, exporters of chrome ore and ferrochrome still need to set aside flexible transit lead times, particularly for cargo shipped via the Maputo corridor.