Côte d’Ivoire has inaugurated the second container terminal of the autonomous port of Abidjan. The ceremony took place recently in front of the vice president of Ivory Coast, Tiémoko Meyliet Koné, the prime minister, and other officials.
The superstructure, which is the result of public-private cooperation between the State of Côte d’Ivoire and the companies Bolloré Ports and APM Terminals, intends to quadruple the port of Abidjan’s present capacity.
The $940 million project is a component of the government’s plan to update the port system in the Ivory Coast in order to increase the nation’s competitiveness in West Africa and the sub-Saharan region.
The terminal will offer ship owners, shippers, and freight forwarders acceptable options for the import, export, and transit of commodities at departure and destination of the Ivory Coast, in line with the Ivorian government’s 2030 strategy, which seeks to give the country a port hub.
Remarks on the new container terminal at the port of Abidjan
President of Bolloré Africa Logistics, Phillipe Labonne, said, “The Côte d’Ivoire Terminal expands the capabilities of the Port of Abidjan. Currently, the port’s infrastructure can handle ships carrying 15,000 containers, up from just 3,500 only a few weeks ago. As a result, this terminal increases the port’s annual capacity for handling containers from one million to two million containers.”
He added, “Côte d’Ivoire Terminal will assist the rise in import and export volumes thanks to the investment made here. It will improve the efficiency of operations, cut down on lead times, and ultimately cost shippers less money.”
Recall that in 2020, work on the terminal’s construction began. The terminal at the port of Abidjan will be known as a Green Terminal. Because it incorporates several environmental criteria, particularly through the use of electric tractors. The new terminal, which has a 37.5-hectare footprint and 1,100 meters of quays, can accommodate boats with a 16-meter draft. And will create 450 direct employment in addition to thousands of indirect ones.
An overview of the Côte d’Ivoire Terminal at the port of Abidjan
Covering an area of 37.5 hectares, the terminal is being constructed by China Harbor Engineering Company (CHEC), a China Communications Construction Company subsidiary, adjacent to the existing Abidjan Terminal.
Upon completion, it will have a maximum draft of -18 meters which means that its 1,100m quay will be able to accommodate vessels up to -18 meters, providing scope for accepting larger vessels in the future.
Also Read: Construction of Côte d’Ivoire Terminal (CIT) in Port Abidjan, Ivory Coast to begin
It will also have a rail yard with two tracks of 300 meters each, and it will offer reefer plugs for up to 1,100 containers. The terminal will have 6 quay gantries, 13 electric park gantries, and 36 electric port tractors for handling containers in terms of equipment.
CIT will enhance the competitiveness of the port of Abidjan, generate 450 direct jobs and thousands of indirect jobs and contribute to the upskilling and training of young Ivorians in the port professions.
Dec 2014
China Eximbank loans Ivory Coast US$875 million for the construction of a container terminal at Abidjan port
Construction of a second container terminal at the port is set to kick off following a loan by the China Eximbank to Ivory Coast. The news for the loan was made public by the director general of the Abidjan port Hien Yacouba Sie on Monday this week.
Construction of the new terminal will be crucial since the country hopes to increase capacity in one of the busiest ports in the continent. Hien Yacouba Sie said that construction works will also include setting up a roll-on/roll-off terminal and expansion of the Vridi canal.
Expected to start off in the first quarter of 2015, the Abidjan port expansion operation is expected to conclude by 2021. The new terminal will be managed by a consortium led by France’s Bollore.
Ballore is also going to provide US$377.5m to finance other infrastructures to be constructed at the port according to Hien Yacouba Sie. The additional infrastructure is also expected to improve traffic at the port.
The Abidjan port registered a tonnage of 21 million tonnes in 2013 and the cargo traffic is increasing as the country recovers from political instability.
Dec 2017
Port of Abidjan undergoes US $1.2bn expansion
The Port of Abidjan in Ivory Coast is undergoing a major expansion with the aim of cementing its position as one of West Africa’s leading commercial hubs.
Moreover, a second container terminal is also being constructed to increase the port’s cargo capacity. The goal is to be able to host larger, new-generation vessels, regardless of their size.
According to Yacouba Sié CEO of the Autonomous Port of Abidjan, when the project is complete the port of Abidjan will be able to accommodate ships carrying 14,000 containers. “Here at the port of Abidjan, we can accommodate vessels with a draft of up to 11,5 meters, that is to say, no more than 3.500 containers,” said Yacouba Sié.
The China Harbor Engineering Company is executing the project. Already huge concrete blocks are being built on site that will make up the wharf. The new terminal will spread over land gained on the lagoon.
Deputy Project Manager Zhibin Zhang says that due to the size of the project about 50 vessels are being used for the construction work. “We will transport these blocks to the port by boat, and we will align them to build the quay line,” he said.
The project is scheduled for completion in August 2019. More than half of the work is already done. The cost is estimated to cost just over US $1.2bn.
The ports of Abidjan were constructed in 1950 but have been facing the challenge of congestion. expansion work was launched two years ago to rectify the problem.
The port is one of the busiest in Sub-Saharan Africa serving landlocked countries like Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger. Every year more than 20 million tons of goods transit through the port. This is set to grow after work is completed to widen and deepen the Vridi channel leading to the main port.
April 2018
Construction plans underway for the second container terminal at the port of Abidjan
Plans are underway for the construction of the second container terminal at Côte d’Ivoire’s main port of Abidjan. French industrial conglomerate Bollore has plans to invest US $496.3m from next year towards the terminal construction project. This is according to Bollore Transport and Logistics Deputy CEO, Philippe Labonne.
Côte d’Ivoire authorities want the main port of Abidjan to become a regional hub. Currently, the port is used to ship cocoa beans from the world’s top cocoa producer and is also a vital supply and export route for landlocked countries to the north.
According to Philippe Labonne, the terminal project is scheduled to kick start in June or July next year. “It’s a question of building a platform and setting up the port equipment,” said Labonne.
The new terminal will be operational from June 2020 and will be financed by the project’s partner Maersk. Meanwhile, the port authorities through the Chinese’s help are currently widening the canal leading to the port reaching a 16m depth that will allow larger ships to dock.
Also read: Cote d’Ivoire inaugurates the largest hydroelectric power station in West Africa
The project aims to boost terminal capacity by around 15% from its current roughly 1.2 million TEU (20-foot container units).
Aug 2020
Ivory Coast: Construction of Côte d’Ivoire Terminal (CIT) in Port Abidjan to begin
The construction of the second container terminal dubbed Côte d’Ivoire Terminal (CIT) at the port of Abidjan in the Ivory Coast is set to begin following the signing of the project implementation agreement between the developers Bolloré and APM Terminals, and the contractor China Harbour Engineering Company (CHEC), a subsidiary of China Communications Construction Company.
Located adjacent to the existing Abidjan Terminal, Côte d’Ivoire Terminal is scheduled to be operational by the end of 2021 at an investment of 400m euros inclusive of the terminal construction and equipment works. The developer will operate the terminal for a period of 20 years before handing it over to the Ports Authority ‘Port Autonome d’Abidjan’.
The new terminal overview
Once completed, CIT will enhance the competitiveness of the port of Abidjan and add an additional 1.2 million TEU in annual throughput capacity, in its first phase of development.
It will have a maximum draft of -18 meters. That means that its 1,100m quay will be able to accommodate vessels up to -18 meters, providing scope for accepting larger vessels in the future. It will also have a rail yard with two tracks of 300 meters each, and it will offer reefer plugs for up to 1,100 containers.
Earlier this month, the terminal management signed a contract for the supply of 6 post-Panamax gantry cranes, 13 e-RTG, and 36 Tugmasters. Additional equipment is included in future plans, once the terminal approaches an agreed volume threshold.
Gateway for neighboring countries
According to Koen De Backker, the Managing Director of CIT, the port’s strategic location on the West African coast plus the additional capacity provided by CIT combined with its ability to handle larger new-generation ships of up to 14,000 TEU and 350m in length, not to mention its deep draft will position Abidjan as a preferred gateway for surrounding countries such as Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger, which currently use less optimal routes due to capacity restrictions at gateway terminals and it will also serve as a transshipment hub for Guinea, Sierra Leone, and Liberia.
July 2021
Construction of Côte d’Ivoire Terminal at Abidjan Port, to be completed in July 2022
The ongoing construction works of Côte d’Ivoire Terminal (CIT), the second container terminal at the Port of Abidjan in the Ivory Coast, are set to be completed in July next year (2022) after approximately 22 months of construction.
This is the assurance given by Bellerose Pierre, the regional director of Bolloré Logistics (the company developing the project alongside APM Terminals). Pierre was speaking on behalf of the concession company, during the site inspection visit by the Ivorian Minister of Transport, Amadou Koné.
He said, “Despite the many constraints brought about by the Covid-19 pandemic, we are still on the right track. To meet the 18-month deadline, we have increased our workforce. We have more than 150 people working 24 hours a day on the site and we plan to deliver the work by July 2022.
