(Business in Cameroon) - Cameroon's ambassador to Equatorial Guinea, Désiré Jean Claude Owono Menguele, announced on April 19 the launch of a maritime line for transporting goods and people between the two nations. The inaugural journey of this maritime line is scheduled for April 26, departing from Malabo to Douala, with the return trip to Malabo scheduled for April 28.

Currently, this route is served solely by the vessel M/V Dona Candida operated by the Equatorial Guinean company Viteoca. Information gathered about the ship indicates it is a passenger vessel. Measuring 80 meters in length and 12 meters in width, it was built in 1991 and is currently sailing under the flag of St Vincent & Grenadines.

According to the fare schedule published by Viteoca, travelers using the M/V Dona Candida to travel to Malabo or Douala will pay CFA80,000 each for economy class, CFA85,000 for business class, and CFA90,000 for first class. For added comfort, Viteoca offers its customers a single VIP suite for CFA120,000, a complete VIP suite for CFA135,000, and a family suite with two rooms for CFA200,000. For the inaugural journey, the company is offering a special promotion: CFA120,000 for a round trip in economy class, CFA125,000 for business class, and CFA130,000 for first class.

The opening of this maritime route comes ten months after the meeting between the Cameroonian Minister of Transport, Jean Ernest Ngalle Bibehe, and the CEO of Viteoca, on August 3, 2023, in Yaoundé. The partners explored the possibilities of creating this maritime line for transporting people and goods between Equatorial Guinea and Cameroon. Jean Ernest Ngalle Bibehe also issued a navigation permit in Cameroonian waters for the M/V Candida vessel.

For Ambassador Désiré Jean Claude Owono Menguele, this maritime line is a "secure and comfortable" means of transportation. It will significantly increase commercial exchanges between the two countries and strengthen sub-regional integration. Cameroon and Equatorial Guinea share maritime and land borders and are linked by economic partnership agreements in various fields, including oil and gas.

Equatorial Guinea, whose many products typically imported from Spain often enter Cameroon through smuggling, was Cameroon's top African supplier in 2021, according to the National Institute of Statistics (INS). The latter indicates that this country exported 139,300 tons of goods to Cameroon that year, generating revenues of CFA51.6 billion.