(Business in Cameroon) - On May 7, 2020, Maersk Line launched a new import/export offer from the port of Kribi to the United Arab Emirates, India, and Sri Lanka. This offer includes domestic traffics. In 2019, the world leader in maritime transport had performed stops at the said port to transship goods.

According to the Port Authority of Kribi (PAK), these new destinations can be served thanks to the Midas1/Mesawa service, operated by shipping companies Maersk and CMA/CGM. According to Michael Mama, the PAK's Director of Operations (DEX), with the Midas1/Mesawa service, Kribi will improve its link to world markets.

 "The new service co-operated by Maersk and CMA/CGM will inevitably increase the Container Terminal's market share for cargo to and/or from this region of the world [the Middle East and India]. Also, it will enable Cameroonian economic operators, whose suppliers and/or customers come from this area, to benefit from reduced transit time and competitive transport costs,” he said.

Another indirect effect, according to the DEX, is the induced attractiveness of Kribi's logistics and industrial platform, especially for investors who have commercial contracts with economic operators from the Middle East and India. In that regard, the launch of this service will naturally encourage a commercial dynamism very interesting for the Kribi destination. This dynamism will be all the more interesting since the Midas1/Mesawa service is linked to another service that directly serves South-East Asia. This means that all the operators who will use this service via Kribi will be able to connect to the worldwide network of the Danish shipowner Maersk.

In 2019, the Middle East and India accounted for approximately 9.2% of container traffic in the Kribi container terminal and 4.5% of the traffic out. The Cameroonian port community expects this performance to rise.

Sylvain Andzongo