Above: Port localisation in Bangui district/town
Port Overview
In 1996 Bolloré Africa Logistics (SOCATRAF affiliated) was
awarded the concession for the container terminal at the port of
Bangui. SOCATRAF is a mixed company (60% for the Bolloré Group and
40% for the government of the Central African Republic) which
manages the river port and barge transport along the Ubangui River
up to Brazzaville or Kinshasa. However, the container section is
managed by SCAC DELMAS VIELJEUX (SDV), another company of the
Bolloré Group.
The corridor starts at the ports of Pointe Noire (RoC) or Matadi
(DRC) to reach Brazzaville or Kinshasa by railway or road. From
these two towns, cargo is loaded on barges and transported through
the rivers Congo and Ubangui up to the port of Bangui.
On February 26-27, 2018, in Bangui, transporters in Cameroon and Central African port and customs authorities met to discuss the problems encountered by Central African operators in Douala port and on the Douala-Bangui corridor. On this corridor, about 90% of the freight is transported by Cameroonians. According to Central Africa, this represents a violation of the law which stipulates that 65% of the goods should be transported by Central African transporters. “Normally, from Douala Port to Bangui, only two checkpoints should be installed. However, there is more than fifty. So, these additional checkpoints generate costs that affect the selling price in Central Africa”, Bertrand Ngougnon, chairman of central African transporters’ council, lamented. Indeed, earlier in February, Cameroon’s syndicates complained about the multiple customs, police and road safety agents’ checkpoints along this corridor and Douala-Ndjamena. They also revealed that transporters had to pay between CFA1000 and CFA5000 at each checkpoint during every trip. Based on the figures provided by the syndicalist, for a trip monthly, all the transporters pay about CFA175 billion at the checkpoints along Douala-Ndjamena corridor, every year.
In March 2018, the Autonomous Port of Douala (PAD) has opened an office in Bangui, the capital of the landlocked Central African Republic (CAR) which uses the facility for the bulk of its exports and imports. After Ndjamena in Chad in December 2017, the CAR now hosts the latest PAD office. The Cameroonian port authorities say this move explains their determination to reclaim and retain such landlocked neighbours at the heart of its business expansion strategy. According to statistics from the General Directorate of Customs (DGD), some CFA 55 billions of CAR goods pass through the port of Douala each year. Against this backdrop, “the opening of the PAD offices in Ndjamena and Bangui is indeed a new offensive to regain the threatened market share and retain customers,” the authorities of the port said. The meeting between carriers, port authorities and Cameroonian and CAR customs officials held on the heels of the initiative of the Central African Council of Carriers (CCT) provided an opportunity to examine the problems encountered by Central African economic operators in the port of Douala. According to customs director, more than 80 percent of Central African imports and exports pass through the port of Douala, which are transported by road for nearly 1,500 km.
Port Location and Contacts |
|
---|---|
Country |
CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC |
Province or District |
Lobaye |
Town or City (Closest location) with Distance (km) |
Name : BANGUI km: 0.5 KM FROM CITY CENTER |
Port's Complete Name |
Port fluvial de Bangui |
Latitude |
4.357486 |
Longitude |
18.57779 |
Managing Company or Port Authority (If more than one operator, break down by area of operation) |
SOCATRAF (Bollore Africa Logistics group) |
Management Contact Person |
SOCATRAF Bruno PERIER - Directeur Général +236 21 61 43 15 / +236 75 50 24 64 |
Closest Airport and Frequent Airlines to / from International Destinations |
Airport Name: Bangui M’poko |
For information on Central African Republic Port of Bangui, please
see the following link:
4.8 Central African Republic Port and Waterways Company Contact List
Above: Aval and Central Port areas including:
- Warehouses: 10,000 m2
- Berth
- Mobile Crane
- Fixed Crane
Above: Amont Port Areas including:
- Container Berth: 5000 m 2
- Fixed Crane
Above: Main Port Berth
Above: Port Hoists
Port Performance
Seasonal Constraints | Yes/No |
From <month> to <month> |
|
---|---|---|---|
Rainy Season |
Yes |
June-July>>December |
|
Major Import Campaigns |
Yes |
June-July>>December |
|
Handling Figures |
Year 2016 figures N/A |
Handling Figures |
Year 2012 |
---|---|
Vessel Calls |
|
Container Traffic (TEUs) |
5000 |
Handling Figures Bulk and Break Bulk |
2012 |
---|---|
Bulk (MT) |
n/a |
Break bulk (MT) |
n/a |
Discharge Rates and Terminal Handling Charges
Fee for loading or unloading of a container is 166 600 XAF /TTC.
Cost of berthing fee for a boat: 50 000 to 500 000 XAF, depending on capacity.
The stay in quay is 50 XAF per day per 1 ton
Berthing Specifications
The maintenance of the entire network of navigable waterways of
the Congo-Ubangui-Sangha Rivers, representing some 2,000 km, is the
responsibility of SCEVN[1], a company jointly owned by the Central
African Republic and the Republic of the Congo.
In order to facilitate the access to the port of Bangui, constant
dredging of the Ubangui and Congo should be done, which is
unfortunately not the case. As a result, the beds of the two rivers
are subject to silting as demonstrated by the low draught level.
Consequently, only barges could navigate on these rivers.
The quay at the port of Bangui measures about 330m, divided into
the upstream port (Port amont) for the cement and petroleum
products and the downstream port (Port aval) for general cargo such
as cereals and cotton.
It should be mentioned that only two barges can berthed at the same
time.
[1] Service Commun d’Entretien des Voies Navigables du bassin
Congo-Oubangui-Sangha.
Type of Berth | Quantity |
Length (m) |
Maximum Draft (m) |
---|---|---|---|
Conventional Berth |
3 |
545m |
n/a |
Container Berth |
n/a |
n/a |
n/a |
Silo Berth |
n/a |
n/a |
n/a |
Berthing Tugs |
n/a |
||
Water Barges |
3 |
Port Handling Equipment
The port is under the management of SOCATRAF, which has been awarded in 1996 to manage the concession of the container port terminal (Port Amont).All port handling equipment belong to SOCATRAF, which also supports manual handling with workforce.
Equipment |
Available (Yes / No) |
Total Quantity and Capacity Available |
Comments on Current Condition and Actual Usage |
---|---|---|---|
Dockside Crane |
Yes |
1 (30mt) 1 (110 mt) |
Operational |
Container Gantries |
No |
||
Mobile Cranes |
Yes |
4 (3 mt each) |
Operational |
Reachstacker |
Yes |
1 Svetruck (40mt) |
Operational |
RoRo Tugmaster (w/ Trailer) |
No |
||
Grain Elevator w/ Bagging Machines |
No |
||
Transtrainer |
Yes |
3 ADF 185m3/hr berth |
Operational |
Forklifts |
Yes |
5 (2*30mt, 2*5mt and 1*2.5mt) |
Operational |
Container Facilities
Facilities |
20 ft |
40 ft |
---|---|---|
Container Facilities Available |
Yes |
Yes |
Container Freight Station (CFS) |
Yes |
Yes |
Refrigerated Container Stations |
No |
No |
Customs Guidance
For information on Central African Republic Customs Guidance, please see the following links:
1.2 Central African Republic Customs Information
Terminal Information
Main Storage Terminal
Storage Type |
Number of Storage Facilities |
Area (square meters) |
---|---|---|
General Cargo |
5 |
2000m2 |
Stevedoring
All activities are handled by SOCATRAF at port.
Hiterland Information
Road - transport Company available.
Waterway – river barge available at Port Amont.
Port Security
Private security on site is available for global compound security. Customer is required to contract an extra private security company.
Security |
|
---|---|
ISPS Compliant (Yes / No) |
No |
Current ISPS Level |
n/a |
Police Boats |
No |
Fire Engines |
Yes |
The port is under the management of SOCATRAF, which has been awarded in 1996 to manage the concession of the container port terminal (Port Amont).All port handling equipment belong to SOCATRAF, which also supports manual handling with workforce.