The agreements between the United Arab Emirates (UAE) operator, Unicargas, Multiparques and the Luanda port authority were signed this Tuesday in the capital and provide for the concession and modernization of the multipurpose terminal for a period of 20 years, extendable for ten more, through a consortium.
In the initial phase, AD Ports will invest 251 million dollars to modernize the terminal, an investment that should increase to 410 million dollars over the term of the concession and depending on market demand.
The Minister of Transport, Ricardo Viegas Abreu, highlighted that the agreements are the result of conversations that the companies have held and which had already led to the signing of the term of commitment between the parties on January 17, 2023.
The Port of Luanda handles more than 76 percent of the country's container and general cargo volumes.
"It is, fortunately, well situated to capture the expected growth in the country's container volumes, which are expected to increase at an average annual rate of 3.3 percent over the next decade", highlighted the official.
On the other hand, he added that this is one of the main transshipment centers for countries in Central-West Africa, allowing maritime trade access to landlocked African countries, such as the Democratic Republic of Congo and Zambia.
Mohamed Eidha Tannaf Almenhali, regional director for Africa at the Abu Dhabi Ports group, stated that the process "was very challenging, but successful", securing a long-term concession for the operation of this terminal, and focused on the "strong bilateral relationship" between Angola and the United Arab Emirates in recent years.
The official also pointed out the "great potential of Angola" in terms of logistical opportunities and added that the terminal's remodeling should be completed in the third quarter of 2026.
The terminal's concession contract provides for the modernization of the multipurpose facilities and their transformation into a container and Ro-Ro terminal (vessels in which cargo enters and leaves by their own means using wheels), in an area of 192 thousand square meters.
Container handling volumes are expected to increase from 25,000 TEUs to 350,000 TEUs (sea container loading capacity) and Ro-Ro volumes to more than 40,000 vehicles.
