Moçâmedes

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Mossâmedes can also be a small city in the state of Goiás, Brazil. For that article see Mossâmedes

Moçâmedes (old spelling: Mossâmedes) was the Portuguese colonial name of present-day Namibe province and city, in South-Western Angola.

During 1966-67 a major Iron Ore terminal was built at Saco, the bay just 12 km North of Mocamedes. The client was Compania de Mineira do Lobito which developed an Iron Ore mine inland at Cassinga. The mine installations and 300 km railway was bulit by Krupp of Germany and the very modern harbour terminal by SETH, a Portuguese company owned by Hojgaard & Schultz of Denmark, The small sleepy fishing commnunity of Mocamewdes was thus invaded by a number of foreign engineers and their families for 2 years, which led to many amusing incidents. The Ore Terminal was cocmpleted on time within one year and the first 250.000 ton ore carrier docked and loaded with ore in 1967.

During the civil war following the departure of the Portuguese, the mine was controlled by UNITA and the coast by the communist government, so no export was possible. The port installations were unused but protected by Cuban soldiers and on the promotory behind the terminal, Soviet experts installed SAM-3 missile sites aimed towards South Africa in May 1981. When intelligence about this increase in military activity reached the USA, airplanes from South Africa completed bombing raids, knocking out the dangerous SAM missile sites at Mocamedes/ Namib sometime in 1981.