French-Chinese consortium wins terminal concession in Cameroon

Ocean carrier CMA CGM will team up with Bolloré African Logistics and China Harbour Engineering Company to build and operate a 1.4 million-TEU container terminal in Kribi.    A French-Chinese consortium has won a bid to build and operate a container terminal in the West African country of Cameroon.
   Following the bidding procedure initiated by the Cameroonian government, the consortium formed by France’s CMA CGM and Bolloré African Logistics, and China’s China Harbour Engineering Company (CHEC) won the 25-year concession.
   Vessels from all companies with up to 8,000 TEUs capacity will be able to call this 1.4 million-TEU capacity container terminal. When finished, it will be composed of a 700-meter (2,300-foot) long wharf and a 32-hectare (79-acre) platform made with a draft of 16 meters (52.5 feet). The first 350 meters of wharf will be operational within a few months.
   CMA CGM said in a statement Kribi is a strategic location to serve the African Atlantic coast and inland countries.
   Cameroon is ”a growing market – and will become a regional hub for the African Atlantic coast, from Senegal to Gabon. Big capacity vessels will call this port from both the European and Asian markets. Thus, it will supply countries without maritime access such as Chad and Central African Republic,” said CMA CGM.
   The carrier has operated in Africa since 2001 and in 2006, strengthened its footprint on the continent by acquiring Delmas, a specialist in providing maritime transport to Africa.
   CMA CGM carried more than 1.2 million containers in 2014 from and to Africa, according to the company.