CASE STUDY
Rio Tinto welcomes tourists to Madagascar
The port built by Rio Tinto to export product from its QIT Madagascar Minerals (QMM) mine on the south east coast of Madagascar has welcomed its first cruise liner full of tourists. The Mediterranean Shipping Company liner MSC Sinfonia docked at Fort Dauphin’s Port of Ehoala in March as part of an Indian Ocean cruise. More than 1,600 passengers disembarked to a warm welcome and the opportunity to marvel at the famous lemurs and unusual flora, the beaches and sumptuous landscapes of a rarely visited part of the world.
Organized tours
The Fort Dauphin Chamber of Commerce organised tours inland and a shuttle bus service was available to get to town. Business was good for taxi drivers, guides, craftsmen and women, stallholders, cafés and bars. The Sinfonia sailed from Durban, South Africa, and called at Reunion, Mauritius and a northern Madagascar port, Ile de St Marie. Fort Dauphin was included on the itinerary thanks to Philippe Murcia, manager of Port of Ehoala, who has been lobbying shipping companies since construction started about the opportunity of bringing tourists to a previously hard to reach corner of Madagascar.
It is hoped that the Sinfonia is the first of many cruise ships to visit, opening up a potentially lucrative boost to the local economy. This was a desired outcome when Rio Tinto, in pursuit of its sustainable development goals, was planning the establishment of a mine in a remote and economically challenged part of the world.
A public port
Public infrastructure is lacking in Madagascar, so an important component of the project was building a deep sea multi-use public port. While the ilmenite mine is the key initial customer, the port is considered an essential tool for the future economic development of the whole region. At the end of the life of the mine, the port will fall under the responsibility and control of the Government of Madagascar.
QMM ships its ilmenite product to Rio Tinto Fer et Titane in Canada for processing. It uses the new port on average seven to eight days per month, leaving plenty of room for other traffic and future growth. The new port allows the import of fuel for the local electrical power station and the export of local products such as sisal, granite, food and seafood.
Philippe Murcia said: “This represents a very significant burst of economic activity for a city like Fort Dauphin. Everybody was happy, so we expect more ships to call – three are already planned for next year.”
CASE STUDY DETAILS
- Published
- 03 August 2010
- Company
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Rio Tinto
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