Southern Africa’s Lobito Atlantic Railway (LAR) has achieved a notable milestone with the departure of its first copper shipment to the United States. This shipment, which consists of copper cathodes, left the Port of Lobito this week on the container ship MSC Samu and is headed for Baltimore. The copper arrived at the Port of Lobito on August 19, having travelled from Kolwezi in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) aboard an LAR-operated train, which made the journey in six days. LAR operates under a 30-year concession awarded in 2022 to the Lobito Atlantic Railway consortium. This consortium includes the global commodities trading firm Trafigura, the construction and engineering company Mota-Engil, and Vecturis SA, an independent rail operator. The consortium also manages the mineral terminal at the Port of Lobito, which is connected to an 800-mile railway line stretching from Luau on Angola’s border with the DRC to Kolwezi, a major copper mining area in the DRC. There are also plans to extend this corridor into Zambia’s copper belt. Last month, the Lobito terminal received its first vessel following completion of rehabilitation work. This terminal has since handled several copper shipments to Europe and the Far East. Francisco Franca, Chairman of LAR’s Board of Directors, emphasized that the shipment to the U.S. highlights the growing role of the Port of Lobito in global shipping. The LAR consortium is investing over $800 million to refurbish the railway throughout the life of the concession. This investment will fund the renovation of railway sections and the acquisition of new wagons and locomotives. In addition, earlier this year, the U.S. government announced a $250 million financial package through its International Development Finance Corporation (DFC) to support the development of the LAR corridor. This package, provided to the Africa Finance Corporation (AFC), includes a debt facility and advisory support for the project. Discussions regarding this support are ongoing.