The Republic of Cameroon, situated at the crossroads of western and central Africa, relies heavily on its sea ports for international trade. The economy of the country is propelled by a strong agricultural sector followed by manufacturing. These ports serve as crucial links for both import and export activities, supporting the nation's economy and connecting it to global markets.
MSC's cargo handling facilities are strategically located to ensure the efficient and timely loading of goods for export and import. All MSC local offices provide certified scales to record and verify container weight (verified gross mass or VGM) in line with Safety of Lives at Sea (SOLAS) regulations. VGM instructions are mandatory for all shipments for safety reasons and vessel operators can only load a container if its weight has been appropriately verified. Please note toxic waste, scrap materials are strictly forbidden at Douala port.
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Key Ports in Cameroon
Cameroon boasts several important ports, each with its unique characteristics and contributions to the nation's trade.
1. Douala Port: The Major Hub
The port of Douala is Cameroon’s major port situated on the banks of the river Wouri. The biggest city of Cameroon, it is also a financial and commercial hub. Another advantage is that it is connected to all major states through national highway routes and railways which makes it an important distribution centre and the key facility handling more than half of Cameroon’s international maritime trade. It houses many manufacturing and processing plants such as breweries, food-processing, palm oil, soap factories, plastics, bicycle making, paper etc.
Approximately 6,230,500 tonnes of cargo, 187,500 TEU and 2,800 vessels are handled at the port annually. Douala port has a fairly long navigation channel stretching 50 km that needs regular dredging to accommodate large ships. It exports timber, coffee, aluminium, cocoa, bananas, forest products, fruits, and cotton and receives shipments of fuels like gasoline, LPG, cereals, chemicals, bauxite, construction equipment and machinery.
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The port has a total quay length spanning 27,000 m2 with an alongside water depth of 8 m. This facility has 11 berths each 150 m long, dedicated to handling general cargo. It also has 59,000 sq m of warehouse area and functional port equipment. The port’s container handling facility is one of the best in the region.
It was resurfaced with tarmac and cobbles to allow easy loading and unloading operations. Comprising three berths, each measuring 500 m, the stacking yards can handle 5000 TEU in a day. It has fully-functional modern port equipment such as four cranes, 18 reach stackers, 15 forklifts, 30 tractors and 29 trailers. The stacking area spans 21 hectares and is adjacent to the two terminal buildings.
2. Limbe Port: An Alternative Anchorage
Limbe port, also known as the port Victoria is the second biggest port of Cameroon. It lies about 15 nautical miles from Douala port in the southwestern part of the country along the Bay of Ambas in the Gulf of Guinea. It was built to supplement the seaport of Douala that faces the problem of congestion and increased operational costs since it fills with sand and requires regular dredging to allow the berthing of ships. An anchorage facility, it has two self-propelled crafts and a tug.
Limbe port is envisaged to become a major transport facility for shipping minerals, oil, foodstuff from and to Cameroon and neighbouring nations. It would also solve the anchorage issue of petroleum carriers coming for repair. The port town is also famous among tourists for its cultural heritage, long sandy beaches and boating facilities.
The port comprises a berthing dock spanning 750 m and 5 warehouses of 1640 m2 each. It also has a transit shed with a slipway, a timber stacking yard and 5 cranes for lifting 20 tonnes at once. Currently, the port handles petroleum goods as the city houses Cameroon’s largest oil refinery, followed by timber. A new shipyard has been constructed recently to allow the repair and maintenance of oil tankers. Also, a prominent cement company has established itself in the town and plans to use the port for its shipments.
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3. Kribi Port: Cameroon’s Deep Seaport
Cameroon’s only deep seaport, Kribi port is a medium-sized facility located at the right bank of the Kienke river. The major export commodity is timber followed by palm kernels, ivory, rubber products and cocoa while major imports comprise malted barley, cotton, spirit, rice and salt. Around 118,100 tonnes of cargo and more than 100 vessels visit the port annually.
The port was refurbished in the last two decades and is suitable for accommodating the new transoceanic ships and carriers. It provides an economically viable maritime access into Cameroon and nations situated in its hinterland like Chad, Central African Republic etc. To transform it into a transhipment hub of the region for boosting foreign trade and national economy, the new container terminal was built at Kribi port and is managed by Bollore Ports Group.
It has a wharf stretching 350 m with a maximum draught of 16 m capable of accommodating ships carrying up to 11,000 TEUs. The terminal has container storage yards covering 18 hectares, a 2000 sq m warehouse, 3 administrative offices, 2 terminal buildings, including a parking area for keeping the port’s 2 ship-to-shore gantry cranes, 5 container gantries, 3 mobile cranes, 5 reach stackers, 4 transtainers, 20 tractors and 15 trailers. The terminal’s container freight station can process 15,000 units and has 193 reefer points. The operations of the container terminal are fully mechanised.
Containers are automatically recorded at their arrival and stored in their designated place. The port’s multipurpose terminal has 2 berths spanning 500 m. The Kribi Industrial Port project covers 9500 hectares of land and aims at making the port an important industrial and commercial hub of Cameroon. It involves the construction of a logistics centre, an industrial zone, and an airport. A residential city would be built nearby along with buildings for administrative purposes, hospitals and shopping centres.
4. Tiko Port: A Historical Trade Point
Tiko is an important port located in southwestern Cameroon along the river Bimba at the Gulf of Guinea on the eastern side of the Tiko island linked to the mainland by a causeway. Due to constant silt deposition requiring dredging, the port can accommodate small cargo ships and fishing boats. It has also witnessed reduced maritime traffic due to the increasing significance of Douala and Limbe ports.
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The port was established in the late 18th century and was called Kekis by the native inhabitants, the Bakerwis, a community of farmers. Presently, it comprises 2 docks covering 300 m for handling shipments of timber, bananas, rubber goods, palm oil, hardwood and cocoa.
5. Garoua Port: Seasonal Inland Trade
Garoua is a seasonal facility lying on the River Benue. It serves the northern regions of the country and mostly trades with neighbouring Nigeria through the inland waterways. Operational from June till October, the port is operated by the town council. Huge canoes with outboard engines carrying consumer goods and foodstuff can be seen moored at the port’s 2 docks each measuring 250 m with a depth of 6 m.
Garoua port does not have any container handling equipment as mostly bagged cargo is shipped from this facility.
6-10. Oil Export Terminals
- Kole Oil Export Terminal: Lies northwest of the Gulf of Guinea, just 90 nautical miles from Douala city. It has two oil platforms, the Ekoundou and Kole oil, an SBM and an FSO tanker called Kingsway weighing 159,720 DWT. More than 70 oil carriers visit the port facility annually.
- Limboh Terminal: It is a refinery port comprising a berth with an SPM buoy situated 2 nautical miles to the south of Ambas Bay and an oil jetty in Cape Limboh where the terminal is located. Approximately 1,200,000 tonnes of crude and 600,000 tonnes of products are handled annually at the Limboh terminal.
- Terminal Near Kribi: This terminal is situated near the port of Krbibi and comprises an FSO linked to an SPM.
- Ebome Terminal: Situated at the Baie Banoko and serves the Ebome oil field situated a few miles from Grand Batanga and operated by Perenco Cameroon. It has a storage vessel, a loading dock, a floating storage unit and an SPM for crude oil.
- Moudi Terminal: Serves the nearby Lokele oil fields lying in the Bakassi peninsula. It consists of an FSI, an SBM loading buoy and a production platform.
Port Performance Monitoring
Port performance monitoring helps avoid unforeseen situations during transportation, delays, and enables quick selection of the optimal port for delivery. Compare different destinations and choose the one that will bring the most benefit to the business.
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