THE MINISTER OF TRANSPORT PRESENT FOR THE RECEPTION OF A 366-METER LONG SHIP AT THE SECOND CONTAINER TERMINAL OF THE ABIDJAN PORT

Activités portuaires Tuesday 28 March 2023

Following the start of commercial activities of the second Container Terminal (TC2) of the Abidjan Port on 2 November, a delegation of the Ministry of Transport led by the Minister, Mr. Amadou KONE, visited the site of this new infrastructure on Monday 7 November 2022.

The ministerial delegation was welcomed by the Managing Director of the Abidjan Port Authority (PAA), Mr. Hien Yacouba SIÉ in the presence of Mr. Pierre BELLEROSE, Regional Director of Bolloré Transport Logistics Côte d'Ivoire and Burkina Faso, Mr. Koen DE BACKKER, Director General of Côte d'Ivoire Terminal, and Mr. Fabio POLITI, Director General of MSC Côte d'Ivoire.

This visit comes at the time of the docking, on Sunday 06 November 2022, of the MSC ALIYA, a ship of 366 m long and 48 m wide, with a capacity of 14,336 TEUs. It is the largest ship received to date in the Abidjan Port. This achievement is the result of the implementation of successive projects to widen and deepen the Vridi canal, then the construction of infrastructure and superstructure of the TC2.

The Minister of Transport expressed his satisfaction with the great efforts and investments made by the various stakeholders in this major project, which have allowed to welcome on the docks of the Abidjan Port this giant of the seas, the first of a long series. He especially welcomed the fact that the ultra-modern handling equipment used on this terminal will significantly reduce the waiting time of ships in the harbor and will impact in turn the competitiveness of the Abidjan Port and more globally the national economy.

However, beyond this increase in competitiveness acquired by the Abidjan Port thanks to the TC2, Mr. Amadou KONE stressed that other challenges are to be met in terms of development, including contribution to the creation of jobs and the dynamism of the Ivorian economy.

In his speech, the Managing Director of PAA warmly thanked the Minister of Transport for his constant solicitude alongside the Port Authority during all phases of the extension and modernization of the port, and wished to express through him, the thanks of all stakeholders of the Abidjan Port Community to the President of the Republic, HEM. Alassane OUATTARA, whose vision of a more prosperous Côte d'Ivoire, as well as the important investments made in the Abidjan Port, allow it today to receive on its platform, the largest ships frequenting the West African coasts.

Speaking about the prospects in terms of traffic volumes after the commissioning of TC2, Mr. Hien Yacouba SIÉ was reassuring. "Abidjan processed in 2021 about 800,000 containers (...) Today with this new terminal, the processing capacity of the Abidjan Port will gradually increase from about 1 million to 2.5 million containers in a horizon of three to four years, with mostly transshipment, "he stressed.

With this new container terminal, the Abidjan Port strengthens its competitiveness by aligning itself with international standards, and at the same time provides a concrete response to regional competition. It aims to position itself sustainably not only as a catalyst for the national economy, but also as a sub-regional hub for transshipment.