Pointe Noire Port
Information
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Port Infrastructure
Pointe Noire is the seaport for the Congo, on the western coast
of Africa on the Gulf of Guinea 150km north of the mouth of Congo River.
Nicknamed "Porte Oceane of Central Africa" the port rests on a natural
outlet to the Atlantic. The port of Pointe-Noire, whose construction started
on 11 July 1934 following the official inauguration of the Congo-Ocean Railway
(CFCO -
Chemin de Fer Congo-Océan), was brought into service on 1 April 1939.
The port is the natural outlet on the Atlantic ocean for a vital communication
axis in equatorial Africa, stretching from Pointe-Noire to Bangui and Ndjamena,
through the CFCO rail line, the river line (Bassin Congo-Oubangui-Sangha),
and parts of the networks of CAR, Chad, Cameroon, Gabon, Angola and RDC.
Nowadays Pointe-Noire port is one of the few deep water ports
in West Africa, up to 13.20m and can accommodate larger vessels up to 234m
in length. Entry and exit access are through a basin with an area of 84ha which
opens into a 280m wide bay, extended by an access channel with a length of
1,200 m dredged to 11.50 m.
The port area is composed of 900-ha, of which 400-ha are reserved
for extensions and the industrial zone. There are 15-ha dedicated to warehousing
and 11.7-ha
as a container park. The Port of Pointe-Noire operates 24 hours 7 days a
week. There is a total of 4,830m of quay space for general cargo and
bulk berthage. There
are also ore, timber, and lighter berths. The designated
container
berth is 250m long and has a 200-ton per hour loading capacity. There
are fixed cranes with capacity of up to 50-ton.
It offers its clients the following services:
Towing and pilotage
Ship repair with a slip way with a capacity of 700 tons and a ship repair
facility
Freshwater/oil bunkering
Handling, transport, storage, by experienced private operators
Traffic figures:
Approx. exports of 2,200,000t and imports of 640,000t are handled annually
The traffic capacity within this site is estimated at 5-6 million tonnes
per year.
Quay D -7.60m to -9.40m
Quay G 250m at -10.25m
The Lighterage Quay at -3.70m
Mole 1 9,45m and 3.00 m
Oil Quay -11m
The Oil Services Centre (CSP - Centre des Services Pétroliers)
Quay -8.50m
Length of Quay
Quay D 720m
Quay G 530m
The Lighterage Quay 70m
Mole 1 440m
The Oil Services Centre (CSP - Centre des Services Pétroliers)
Quay 190m
Oil Logistics base
The BOSCONGO quay, 426m long with depths of -4.50m
The ELF CONGO quay, 300m long with depths of -6.00m
Storage
Facilities
Area 1 - Quay G
Covered warehouses: 17230m2
Open Yards: 115959 m2
Area 1 Quay D
Covered warehouses: 22231m2
Open yards: 31665m2
Area 1 Mole 1
Covered warehouses: 9766m2
Open yard: 15669m2
Area 1: first zone is dedicated to goods in customs whose free period
is limited to 11 days for national transit and 30 days for international
transit.
Area 2:
Covered warehouses: 2163m2
Open yard: 116311m2
Area 2: warehousing zone without time limits
Area 3:
Open yard: 601586m2
Area 3: dedicated to oil and industrial activities, as well as port
extensions
Log Park:
Open yard: 85074m2
The developed open areas cover a total surface of 126ha, of which 66ha
dedicated to the commercial port and 60ha to the industrial zone. The
commercial port also has open areas dedicated to the following traffics:
containers, rough timber and eucalyptus logs.
Air Connections
Nearest airport 6km
Rail Connections
Nearest railway 2km
Click here to
view SAGA's access and infrastructural
review on Pointe Noire port.
Several public and private companies operate within the port
including the Congolese Shipping Company (SOCOTRAM), the timber handler (SOCOMAB),
Intel (Integrated Logistic Services), the transit companies (SOCOTRA & SOCOTRANA)
and Delmas Vieljeux (WIS).
Transport
News
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Pointe Noire Port Access For Mayoko Iron Ore Project
- 12/06/09
A MOU has been formalised between DMC Mining and the Port Authority of Pointe
Noire [PAPN] to assist in
potential export of iron ore from DMC's Mayoko Iron Ore Project in Congo through
Pointe Noire port. PAPN
has also announced plans to expand and modernize the existing port to expand
capacity. [Mineweb
12/06/09]
Congo: Pointe Noire Port - Works Offically Launched -
08/05/09
Work on the new CONGO TERMINAL at Pointe-Noire has officially been launched.
The container terminal is part of the development concession signed between
the Autonomous Port of Pointe-Noire and the syndicate formed by Bolloré Africa
Logistics and its local partners Socotrans, Samariti and Translo.
Please click here (French or English) for the official detailed
overview
of the project.
AP Moller Maersk joins Bollore in Congo port deal - 06/05/09
APM Terminals, the port franchise of Danish oil and shipping conglomerate AP
Moller Maersk, is to team up with the Bollore Group to build a new deepwater
container terminal in the Republic of Congo.
Mr Klaus Sejling VP of APM Terminals Global Business Development said that "APM
Terminals will be a minority shareholder in the Congo Terminal which achieves
our goal of participating in the market growth of the Congo and Central Africa." Bollore
Group has signed a EUR 570 million, 27 year concession agreement with the Congolese
government in December 2008 on the deepwater facility.
Plans include a new container terminal to handle vessels carrying up to 7,000
TEU container units, and to double annual throughput from 300,000 TEU containers.
Pointe Noire Port Expansion Confirmed - March 2009
Bolloré recently expanded its terminal network in Africa securing a
27-year concession in December 2008 to manage the container facility at the
port of Pointe Noire in Congo in tandem with local partner, Socotrans. Bolloré have
confirmed that the economic downturn will not prevent the development of port
with the company planning to invest some €570m [$511m] over the 27 year
concession to turn the terminal into the first deep water port in West Africa
able to receive vessels up to 6,000TEU.
“Our investment plan includes significant infrastructure
works such as refurbishing and extending existing quays, purchasing the necessary
equipment such as gantry
cranes and RTGs, and developing a logistics area next to the port. Most of
the civil works will be performed during the first eight years as we consider
it a priority to position Pointe Noire as soon as possible as a deep sea port.” [Port
Strategy March 2009]
Bolloré Acquires Congo Port - 26/12/08
On 23/12/08 the Congolese government and French group Bolloré [www.bollore.com]
signed a 374 billion
CFA [570-million Euros / US$798-million] concession agreement for the container
terminal at the port of
Pointe-Noire, the largest deep water port in the Gulf of Guinea.
The 27-year concession provides for the modernisation of port facilities and
improvement of port activities to
attract a large volume of maritime traffic to Congo. Under the project, the
port of Pointe-Noire will get a 38ha
container storage terminal, up from the current 17ha. The project will be managed
by Bolloré Africa Logistics
and its local partner Socotrans. Bolloré also runs ports in Cote d'Ivoire,
Cameroon, Benin and Nigeria. [PANA
26/12/08]
Bolloré Picked For Pointe Noire Box Port Concession
- 12/12/08
Bolloré African Logistics has been pre-selected to take over management
of the container terminal at the Congo-Brazzaville port of Pointe Noire [one
of 12 bidders for the concession]. They will be partnered by local company
Socotrans.
Bolloré will now open negotiations with the Congolese authorities on
the detailed terms of the concession. The two companies will be expected to take part in a US$135m upgrading of the
port which includes a project to double the capacity of its container terminal
from 250,000TEU to 500,000TEU. The European Investment Bank [EIB www.eib.org]
has already announced provision of a EUR 20-million loan last month for the Port
Autonome de Pointe Noire [PAPN]
modernisation plan.
Congo To Revamp Pointe-Noire Port - 11/11/08
The Port Autonome de Pointe Noire [PAPN] plans to modernize the port with support
from Ivory Coast in a
bid to extend the container terminal and increase the competitiveness of its
industrial and commercial
company. The project for modernising facilities includes the enlargement of
the terminal to a capacity
exceeding 250,000TEU, the rehabilitation of wharfs and warehouses, drainage
and electricity supply
networks, the construction of a specialist timber yard, among other things.
The project will help to reduce handling and stopover costs
and increase the port's capacity and traffic. The
enhanced performance of PAPN will also have a positive impact on the economic
activity of the country and
sub-region. The total project is expected to cost Euro 96-million with the
European investment Bank [EIB
www.eib.org] providing a loan of around EUR 20-million. [PANA 11/11/08]
Congolese/Nigerian Government Meet On Security of Maritime
Transportation - 11/09/08
The Federal Government has expressed its readiness to strengthen existing bilateral
relations between Nigeria and
the Congo in the areas security of Maritime Transportation. Minister of Transportation,
Diezani Alison-Madueke who
made the remarks while receiving the visiting Congolese Minister of Transportation,
Coussoud Movoungou said, the
Abuja Memorandum of Understanding [Abuja MOU] on regional Maritime issues was
very critical to the survival of
maritime sector in the sub-region. A 6-nation meeting on the Abuja MOU is to
be held shortly in Benin. [VAN
11/09/08]
Bordereau Electronique de Suivi -
10/04/08
Please be reminded that all cargoes shipped to Congo must have a Bordereau
Electronique de Suivi des
Cargaisons [BESC] / Electronic Cargo Tracking Note [ECTN]. The BESC must originate
at the place where
the original Bill of Lading is issued. A BESC can be obtained online at www.ccc.cg.
We are also in receipt of an official
letter from the
Congolese Shipping Council as follows:
N° 237/CCC/DG/DTOT
The General Director of the Congolese Shipping Council [CCC] informs all importers,
forwarders, consignees
and transport commissioners that a new adaptation has been made to the ECTN
system, giving the
possibility to the subscriber of the document, to correct an approved ECTN
before arrival of the vessel at
Pointe Noire. The inherent cost for all modifications to an approved ECTN by
the agent for the Congolese
shippers Council at the loading port is 20% of the initial value of the ECTN
charged to the user. This present
note is valid as of the date of the signature. [CCC 10/04/08]
Congo Signs Deal Cancelling 80% London Club Debt -
15/11/07
The London Club of private sector creditors signed a deal with Congo cancelling
80% of debts owed it by the oil-producing country. The Finance Ministry said
Congo's debts to the London Club were 288 billion CFA owed [$643.6 million]
before forgiveness. The cancellation is the fruit of more than a year's negotiations
which began after Congo secured an International Monetary Fund programme and
qualified for the Heavily Indebted Poor Country's [HIPC] debt-relief scheme
last year. That led some of the Paris Club of sovereign lenders, which had
already agreed to cancel 67% of its debt, to increase forgiveness to 90-100%,
wiping out a huge chunk of a foreign debt mountain that stood at $5.5 billion
in 2004. [15/11/07]
Congo Signs Railway Deal With Korean-Led Group -
11/10/07
Congo has signed a deal on 11/10/07 with a Korean-led consortium to construct
1,500 km (940 miles) of new railways and renovate an existing 500-km line
in the Central African state. The deal, signed in the South Korean capital
Seoul by Transport Minister Emile Ouosso, hands the Congo-Malaysia-Korea
Consortium (CMKC) exclusive rights to develop iron ore, oil, gas and forestry
concessions in north and south-west Congo near the lines. Media reports have
said the project is worth more than US$3 billion.
CMKC, which includes Korean Railroad Corporation (Korail) and a unit of Korean
steelmaker POSCO, will operate the railways for 30 years. Construction is due
to begin in 2009. A 1000km line will link the capital Brazzaville with Ouesso
in the country's northwest, near Cameroon. A second route will link Djambala,
in central Congo, to the Atlantic port of Pointe-Noire. The consortium will
also overhaul the existing Congo Ocean Railway Line (CFCO), built in 1934,
which runs 515km from the capital to Pointe-Noire. [Reuters 11/10/07]
Pointe Noire Port: Nautilus is Raised - 05/03/07
Normal operations resumed on 08/03/07 following port closure to remove the
MV Nautilus.
Pointe Noire Port Closes - 03/03/07
As from 21/02/07 Pointe Noire port will close for 10 days.
Please click
here to
view the official notification No 032/2007.
13-24/02 preparatory
phase, some delays expected
24-27/02 port closed
28/02 - 03/03 temporary re-opening
04-07/03 port closed
08/03 normal operation
Nautilus Being Raised - 05/03/07
Please click here for
an image of the Nautilus being raised.
Nautilus To Be Removed - 22/01/07 Smith International has been given the contract to remove the dredger
Nautilus. Owned by Royal Boskalis Westminster nv [www.boskalis.com], the
4,000 m³ dredger
capsized in December during dredging activities for the port of Pointe-Noir.
[OTAL agent 22/01/07]
Waiver Information ----------------------------------------------------------------------
Please be reminded that all cargoes shipped to Congo must have a Bordereau
Electronique de Suivi des Cargaisons [BESC] / Electronic Cargo Tracking Note
[ECTN]. The BESC must originate at the place where the original Bill of Lading
is issued.
Type: Bordereau Electronique de Suivi des Cargaisons [BESC]
/ Electronic Cargo Tracking Note [ECTN] available online at www.cc.cg General Agent: Conseil Congolais des Chargeurs / Congolese Shippers Council Representative:Click
here for a complete list of CCC agents Fines: None observance will result in fines
Contacts and Links
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Port Autonome de Pointe-Noire
BP 711 Pointe Noire Tel: (242) 94 00 52 Fax: (242) 94 20 42
Conseil Congolais Republique Du Congo [CCC] - Responsible for
BESC
Direction Générale
B.P. 741 Pointe-Noire Tel: (242) 94 99 46 Fax: (242) 94 99 53
