The Ministry of Mineral Resources and Energy (Mireme) announced yesterday the creation of a commission of inquiry to investigate the causes of a fuel spill that occurred in Porto da Beira, in the center of the country

"The incident occurred on Saturday as part of the pumping of fuel" into pipelines "at the Mozambique Zimbabwe Pipeline Company's facilities," announced the deputy director of Hydrocarbons and Fuels, José Muhai, quoted by Lusa news agency.

According to the agency, the cause was the rupture of a diesel pipeline, part of which ended up being siphoned off by people from nearby neighborhoods who gathered near the stream coming out of the port area.

It is suspected that failure to observe safety procedures, given the high pressure at which pumping operations take place, may have contributed to the infrastructure's failure, Muhai concluded.

It should be noted that the Port of Beira is one of the main points of passage for goods and essential goods, such as fuel, for the landlocked countries of southern Africa.