The construction of the second container terminal, with an investment cost of 596 billion CFA francs, will allow the port to receive ships of more than 14,000 containers against 3,500 containers previously.
The Vice President of the Republic of Cote d’Ivoire, Tiemoko Meyliet Kone, officially launched the second container terminal of the port of Abidjan on December 2, 2022, in the presence of members of the government, Mr. Frederik Klinke, Africa Director of APM Terminals and the port community.
“This project is of major economic interest in terms of its contribution to the growth of the national economy, but also of social importance as it will provide many direct and indirect jobs,” the Ivorian Vice President said.
The president of Bollore Africa Logistics, Philippe Labonne, welcomed the fact that “Cote d’Ivoire Terminal is taking the port of Abidjan into a new dimension” with port facilities that will now be able to accommodate ships of 15,000 containers against 3,500 previously.
“We are pleased with the completion of this major project that materializes the commitments made by Cote d’Ivoire Terminal to accompany the increase in volumes and boost the flow of imports and exports in Cote d’Ivoire and West Africa. This new infrastructure, equipped with the latest innovations, perfectly illustrates our commitment to the development of port activities in Africa,” said Philippe Labonne, CEO of Bolloré Africa Logistics.
The new hi-tech and digitalized container terminal is composed of six quay gantries, 13 yard gantries, 36 electric tractors and two telescopic elevators. With a 1,100-meter long quay, it can accommodate ships with a draft of 16 meters.
Mr. Philippe Labonne said that this new terminal doubles the annual container handling capacity of the port of Abidjan from 1 to 2 million containers per year.
“Through the investment that we have made here for about 262 billion CFA francs, Cote d’Ivoire Terminal will accompany the growth of import and export volumes. It will enhance the fluidity of operations and reduce delays and therefore costs for shippers,” he added.
The Director General of the Port of Abidjan, Hien Sie Yacouba, said that in 2021, the port of Abidjan has achieved a gross traffic of 30 million tons and has ensured 76 percent of the country’s external trade, with 88 percent of total state revenue collected there.
Considered as the lung of the Ivorian economy, the port of Abidjan ensures 75 percent of trade between Cote d’Ivoire and the outside world; and represents more than 76 percent of customs revenue. On its site, it concentrates 50 percent of the industrial units and about 55,000 direct and indirect jobs.
The project required an overall investment of 596 billion CFA francs, including 334 billion CFA francs for earthworks and the creation of 37.5 hectares of land at the expense of the port of Abidjan and 262 billion CFA francs for the superstructure, financed by Bollore Ports and APM Terminals, concessionaires of this second terminal.
“The launch of this new terminal will redistribute the incoming and outgoing flows of the port of Abidjan, develop a transshipment platform and offer a new connection to shipowners and ultra-competitive services,” Koen de Backker, CEO of Cote d’Ivoire Terminal said.
The second container terminal in the port of Abidjan is built according to the latest environmental standards. It will also be one of the next Bollore Ports terminals to obtain the Green Terminal label after an audit by Bureau Veritas.
This platform, which is part of the 2030 strategic vision of the Ivorian authorities, aims to provide the country with a high-performance tool serving as a port hub connected to the multimodal logistics network (sea, rail, road) of Bollore Africa Logistics.
It will also allow us to offer ship owners, shippers and forwarders, solutions adapted to the import, export and transit of goods, from and to Cote d’Ivoire.
AP/fss/abj/APA