ICTSI inks deal to develop Cameroon’s Kribi terminal

International Container terminal Services Inc. (ICTSI) will start the full operations of the Kribi Multipurpose terminal (KMT) in Cameroon “in a few months” after it signed the concession contract with the Port autonome de Kribi (PAK) for the development, operation and maintenance of the port.

The development of KMT, a deepwater port located 150 kilometers south of Douala, consists of two phases. Phase 1 refers to the development

of 265 + 63 meters of berth and a 10-hectare yard, while Phase 2 will include an additional 350 meters of berth and 23 hectares of yard.

Kribi port is surrounded by the Kribi Industrial Area, a 262 squarekilometer zone destined to accommodate new industrial and logistical developments supporting the growing Cameroonian economy.

“Our purpose as a company is to make the Port of Kribi a driver for positive and sustainable growth, thus ICTSI will work diligently to partner the Cameroonian business community by providing efficient and safe port services,” Hans-ole Madsen, ICTSI senior vice president and regional head for Europe, Middle East and Africa, said.

“Our services will act as a catalyst for Cameroons foreign trade and we will actively promote the Kribi Logistic Corridor—encompassing Cameroon, Chad, Central African Republic, Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea and Gabon—an area home to more than 50 million people.”

KMT can handle multipurpose shipping services including roll-on/ roll-off vessels, project and heavy lift cargo, forestry products, dry bulk and other general cargoes, and to offer support services to the oil and gas industry.

The port provides 16 meters of deep water access and is equipped with state-of-the-art handling equipment including two mobile harbor cranes, providing an annual capacity of 1.5 million tons. It is capable of accommodating the largest vessels plying the waters today.

Madsen said ICTSI “will further invest in KMT’S infrastructure and superstructure, and by 2024 the port will double in size.”

The expansion will include additional modern handling equipment, storage facilities and modern tech platforms.