Côte d’Ivoire: The port platform of Abidjan has just inaugurated its second container terminal.

Côte d’Ivoire Terminal, the company which manages the TC2 terminal, is taking the port of Abidjan into a new dimension at the beginning of December 2022.This platform is part of the 2030 strategic vision of the Ivorian authorities, and aims to provide Côte d’Ivoire with a high-performance tool serving as a port hub connected to the multimodal logistics network (sea, rail, road) of Bolloré Africa Logistics.

The Vice-President of the Republic of Côte d’Ivoire, H.E. Tiémoko Meyliet KONE, officially inaugurated the second container terminal of the Port of Abidjan over the weekend, in the presence of members of the government as well as Mr. Hien Yacouba SIÉ, Director General of the Autonomous Port of Abidjan, Mr. Philippe Labonne, CEO of Bolloré Africa Logistics, and members of the Abidjan port community.

This platform will also enable us to offer shipowners, shippers and forwarders appropriate solutions for the import, export and transit of goods to and from Côte d’Ivoire. “We are proud of the completion of this important project which is part of the strategic plan to modernise the infrastructure of the port of Abidjan. This new terminal will contribute to repositioning the Port of Abidjan as a reference logistics platform on the West African coast,” said Hien Yacouba SIÉ, Director General of the Autonomous Port of Abidjan.

Carried out thanks to the involvement of several local companies, the project required a total investment of 596 billion CFA francs (about 914 million euros), including 334 billion CFA francs (about 512 million euros) for earthworks and the creation of 37. The Port Autonome d’Abidjan will be responsible for the construction of 37.5 hectares of land and 262 billion FCFA (around 402 million euros) for the superstructure works, financed by Bolloré Ports and APM Terminals, concessionaires of the new terminal through their joint subsidiary, Côte d’Ivoire Terminal.

“We are delighted with the completion of this major project, which reflects the commitments made by Côte d’Ivoire Terminal to support the increase in volumes and boost import and export flows in Côte 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. “With our co-shareholder Bolloré Ports, we are providing the Port of Abidjan with an infrastructure that meets international standards and is designed to accommodate the latest generation of ships.

Its commissioning will redistribute incoming and outgoing flows to the Port of Abidjan, develop a transhipment platform and offer a new connection to shipowners and highly competitive services,” said Koen de Backker, Managing Director of Côte d’Ivoire Terminal. Built in accordance with the latest environmental standards, the new container terminal at the Port of Abidjan will also be one of the next Bolloré Ports terminals to be awarded the Green Terminal label following an audit by Bureau Veritas1. About the Port of Abidjan Considered the lungs of the Ivorian economy, the Port of Abidjan handles 75% of trade between Côte d’Ivoire and the rest of the world and accounts for more than 76% of customs revenue. On its site, it concentrates 50% of the most important industrial units in Côte d’Ivoire and generates around 55,000 direct and indirect jobs.

With a surface area of 37.5 hectares, the new terminal will be able to handle more than 1.5 million TEU containers per year and to accommodate ships with a draught of 16 metres on 1,100 metres of quays. It will also generate 450 direct jobs and thousands of indirect jobs. It will thus contribute to the development of skills and the training of Ivorian youth in port professions.

Miss OLY