(Business in Cameroon) - Since February 15, 2015, the coastal tankers of Société nationale de raffinage (Sonara) have not been able to make three trips to the port of Douala where the oil tanks of Société camerounaise des dépôts pétroliers (SCDP) are located. Refined oil products are delivered from there to eight regions across the country.

This situation, which has been attributed to the consistent congestion at the port of Douala, the country’s largest, has been officially found to be responsible for 6 billion FCFA in lost earnings for Cameroon’s sole refinery.

This example brings to the forefront again the importance of the pipeline project for which the first portion will cover 110 km between the oil city of Limbé and the economic capital, Douala. The second portion will cover 70 km between Douala and Edea while the third portion, covering 175 km, will connect the Cameroonian capital, Yaoundé, to Edea.

Totalling 218 billion FCFA, the oil pipeline will “provide a 46% gain in freight costs between Limbé and Douala and a 24% improvement in road and rail transportation costs, particularly considering that roads and railway respectively account for 35% and 65% of oil transported between Douala and Yaoundé. It will also yield a 28% reduction in transportation cost between Limbé and Douala as well as Douala and Yaoundé.”