(Business in Cameroon) - The Cameroonian government and the group of operators made up of the French group Bolloré and CMA CGM, then Chinese CHEC, signed this 25 July 2017, the container terminal concession contract of the Kribi deep water port, the largest port infrastructure in Cameroon. Construction work of the first phase of this port in the South region were completed two years ago.

The consortium Bolloré-CMA CGM-CHEC, who were awarded the concession contract of the container terminal in the month of August 2015, is the 2nd concessionaire to finally sign its contract, at the end of 2 years of procedures. This, after the Dutch company Smit Lamnaco, concessionaire of towing and mooring activities, who were hired in April 2015 and signed its contract on 2 February 2017.

Even though the news coming from negotiations still underway between the Cameroonian government and the consortium Necotrans-KPMO (concessionaire of the multipurpose terminal) are not very reassuring, the signature of the container terminal concession contract is a good indication of the official start of operations of the deep water Kribi port, announced this time for before the end of this year 2017.

The container terminal of the deep water Kribi port, we learn, will be managed by the company registered under Cameroonian law called Kribi Container Terminal (KTC), created by the grouping Bolloré-CMA CGM-CHEC, and of which 20% of the assets will be controlled by "major national actors and Cameroonian specialists in logistics on the sub-region's corridors", we learn from a KTC information note.

According to KTC, which aims, "with time to be the transshipment hub of the West African coast", the deep water Kribi port "will play a role of accelerating economic growth and contributing to the fluidity of the logistics chain in the sub region. It offers the possibility of being served directly from Asia and Europe. The logistic zone being created, will be a sure advantage in the process of the emergence of Cameroon, whose Port of Kribi is one of the cornerstones".

Brice R. Mbodiam