COTE D’IVOIRE

Port Autonome d’IAbidjan (Abidjan Port Authority)

Profile

Located on the “EBRIE” lagoon, the Port of Abidjan is linked to the Atlantic Ocean through the Vridi Channel to which the port owes its existence. This channel was opened to shipping operations on 23rd July 1950. It is 2700 m long and 370 m wide and can accommodate ships drawing 34 feet. The Port of Abidjan stretches over 6 km of quay and comprises 800 ha of land and 1000 ha of water area. The commercial port is comprised of 34 quay berths including multi- purpose and specialized berths among which, a container terminal, a fruit terminal, a timber terminal, a grain terminal and a chemical terminal. There are also three sea berths dedicated to oil tankers operations.

Promotion policy
As a regional leading port, the Port of Abidjan entertains a policy of dynamic image building approach as well as commercial promotion through various media:
- Publicity in Magazines, general and specialized;
- Participation in many trade fairs and exhibitions, worldwide;
- Hosting of Conferences and Meetings and/or active participation in the activities of several regional and International Organisations; -Etc.

Furthermore, the Port of Abidjan signs regularly, various cooperation accords or sister-port agreements with ports both in Africa and beyond. Our port Authority trusts close inter-port cooperation relationship as a means of exchange of ideas and sharing of experience, as well as a key to promoting mutually beneficial commercial benefits. Finally, since December 1995, the port of Abidjan has established the “Abidjan Port Community” which aims at strengthening the operational ties between all member organisations comprised of all economic operators of the Abidjan port place. Since inception, this Community has greatly contributed to the competitiveness of our port.

Future plans
For the coming years, over US$ 420 million will be invested to develop, inter alias, the following projects:
- Enlargement and deepening of the Vridi Channel to accommodate larger  ships;
-  Procurement of additional state of art equipments;
-  Upgrading of the existing infrastructure including the rehabilitation of the fishing port;
-  Implementation of the first stage of the port extension project including building of a cross-over bridge linking to the Boulay Island area;
- Building of ad ditional port infrastructures and facilities.
http://www.Paa-ci.org