Enhancing efficiency at

the port of Douala,

Cameroon

By NCHECHUMA BANLA

Manager of Communication and Public Relations

Port Authority of Douala (PAD), CAMEROON

PLAN

Geographical location of the Douala port

Natural challenges

Efficiency enhancement institutions / tools

The sub regional character of the Douala

port

Conclusion

Geographical location of the Douala

port and its potential

Geographical location

Some Specificities about

the Douala PortThe Port has a 50km long access channel; the

upstream of 25km is constantly dredged to maintain

a draft of 7m; (tidal range of 2.8m) It has 13 bonded

ware houses

An annual traffic of 12 million tons

13km of quays; 9 berths for general cargo

A rail and road network to facilitate the movement of

vehicles and goods

Several terminals

Efficiency enhancement

tools and structures

Their objectives are mainly two fold

Reduction in delays in the

passage of goods at the port (the

target is 5 days for import and 2

days for exports)

Drastic reduction of the global

cost for handling of goods either

on import or export

Dredgingthe Perrenial head ache

1. Dredging – the Perrenial head ache The Port of Douala is a river port.

The port is linked to the high seas by a 50km channel that

needs permanent dredging to enable big vessels access

the port

The total amount spent every year for this operation is 23

billion CFAF (an out sourced activity). About 39 million US

dollars

On the binstructions of the gov’t, the Port Authority of

Douala is setting up a subsidiary company to hencforth

carring out the dredging exercise

Studies show that the amount spent per year will drop to

about 4 billion CFAF. About 7 million US dollars

To do this, PAD has acquired some equipments

New Beaver 50 dredger

2. A strong port Community - PORT-

SYNTHESE PORT-SYNTHESE is an umbrella association created in 1994 that brings

together the main actors of the port industry in Douala

The Association has 53 members drawn from:

The different Port authorities (Douala, Kribi, Limbe and Garoua)

The Directorate General of Customs

The Cameroon National Shippers’ Council

The Cameroon Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Crafts

The National Office for Free Trade zones

The Union of agents and Ship-Owners of Cameroon (UCAM)

Professional Group of Stevedoring companies Cameroon

Freight forwarders

etc

Missions of the Port Community – port

Sythése

Bring members of the port community under

one canopy to continously identify all

encumbrances to the competitiveness and

efficiency of the port in order to provide

lasting and satisfactory solutions to them

Provide a concerted and synergized strategy

for the promotion of the port and its image

3. National Committee for the

Facilitation of trade

This is a consultative organ placed under the tutulage of the Prime Minister and Head of Government

It carries out research to identify stumbling blocks to fluidity in external trade and factors that negativelyimpact costs and time

As such propose corrective measures to the government and other relevant structures in the import – export procedures processes

3. One-stop-shop or Single Window for

external trade operations

Created since 1999, this single window bringsthe following services in one building;

The Port Authority

Customs Administration

Phytosanitary services

Banks

GUCE

DEMATERIALISATION OF KEY

CLEARING PROCEDURES

4. Dematerialization

Accelerate the procedure for the clearance of goods to gain time and reduce cost

quicker transactions and higher efficiency in trading.

It eliminates physical contact betweenactors in the Supply chain and helps to reduce or even eliminate corruption

Concessions of Commercial activities

5. Concessions of Commercial

activities

Targets two main objectives:

Allow the Port Authority to concentrate on regalian activies like the development of port infrastructure, fortification of port security, promotion and marketing of the port etc

Enable private business organisations that winthe concessions to strife for efficiency throughquality investments, profit incentives etc

The Container terminal

Entirely modernized in 2003 thanks to financing

from the Japanses Gov’t

Comprises:

A 700m long quai with a depth of 700m

A RORO ramp (roll on / roll off )

Three gantry cranes of 40T capacity

Warehouses for container stuffing and stripping

24 ha of completely paved earth platform

2 car parks

Conceded activities at the Douala port

The container terminal since 2004 with A.P MOLLER-MAERSK (APM Terminals /Bolloré).

A new concession goes on from January 1st 2020 with TIL (terminal Investment Limited)

The Fruit terminal with TMFD (Terminal Mixte Fruitière de Douala)

The timber terminal with SEPBC

Mooring and towing activity with BOLLUDA

The regional character

of the port and

Facilities to landlocked

countries

6. Facilities to landlocked countries

The port of Douala serves as a « Natural

Port » to landlocked countries like Tchad

and the Republic of Central Africa.

It also serves parts of other countries like

Northern Congo, Eastern Nigeria, and

Democratic Republic of Congo

Facilities to landlocked countries

20 hectares of land for their port operations

50% discount for port charges

50% discount for security charges

75% reduction of different penalties

The objective here is to promote and sustain the

competetiveness of goods from these countries

on the world market and the affordability of

imported goods to their populations

INTERNATIONALSHIP AND

PORT FACILITY SECURITY

CODE ISPS AND ISO

CERTIFICATIONS

ISO Certification and ISPS Code

Since 2016, the port of Douala is certified ISO 9001: 2008 version and since February this year, the 2015 version for Piloting and Management of Ship Call

The Port of Douala is currently preparing itscertification to Marchandise and land tenure and Corporate Social Responsibility

Since the ISPS Code went into use on the 1st of July 2004, the Port Authority of Douala has been committing spirited efforts to domisticate the prescription of this code. The American CoastGuard visits and evaluates the port’s security set up every year.

Master Plan for the development of the

Port for the next 15 years

In the short run, there is

Renovation of warehouses

Construction and modernization of quais to satisfycurrent exigencies

Fortification of security measures in keeping with the prescriptions of the ISPS code

In the long run, the plan envisages:

The construction of a deep sea port around cape Cameroon

Developing the right banks of the Wouri river to accomodate the ever increasing traffic

Conclusion As a port that is located in Cameroon’s economic

capital that has two bouyant industrial zones and a geogrphical position that places it at the service of atleast seven of ten of the country’s ten regions plus five of the countries neighbours amongs them two that are geographically disadvantaged,

The port of Douala has a key role to play as far as the performance quotient and competitivness of Cameroon’s economy and that of the entire Central African sub region is concern.

The Cameroon gov’t is aware of this. That is why the efficiency enhancment institutions and tools that we justexamined have been put in place not only as stimulants of good performance but safety valves for unhealthypractices that can smear the image of the country and negatively impact the economy

Thanks very much for

your kind attention