DRC's EGC Completes Cobalt Hydroxide Transport via Lobito Corridor in 5 Days

en.Wedoany.com Reported - Entreprise Générale du Cobalt (EGC), a state-owned company of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), transported cobalt hydroxide from Kolwezi to the Port of Lobito in Angola by rail in five days, validating the Lobito Corridor's potential to shorten inland transport times for critical minerals from the DRC's Copperbelt.

The Lobito Atlantic Railway (LAR) line extends from Lobito via Luau to Kolwezi, with the Lobito–Luau section spanning 1,300 kilometers and the extension covering 450 kilometers. Operated by Trafigura, Mota-Engil, and Vecturis, LAR had previously announced an inland transport time of approximately seven days, making EGC's five-day journey faster than this standard. EGC had earlier announced a partnership with trading company Trafigura to deliver its first shipments of copper and cobalt via LAR.

This route offers copper and cobalt producers in the DRC a shorter transport corridor compared to existing export routes. According to comparative data provided by EGC, shipments via Dar es Salaam take approximately 28 days, while those via Durban take about 31 days. Reduced transport times minimize the duration minerals spend in transit and provide producers with an alternative route to global markets.

This shipment also tested the corridor's role in regulating artisanal cobalt supply. EGC is mandated to purchase cobalt from artisanal producers in the DRC and collaborates with traders to integrate these materials into international supply chains.

The corridor is also being used to transport processed minerals. In February, Kamoa Copper, Trafigura, and Aurubis reached an agreement to sell the first low-carbon copper anodes from Kamoa-Kakula to Europe, with shipments routed via Lobito.