International Container Terminal Services (ICTSI) and Dredging International have joined forces to cooperate on the further deepening of the Congo River.
With DRC Government support, the consortium intends to deepen the Congo River, in phases, to an eventual depth of 12 metres or more, eliminating current draught restrictions in the Divagante area near Boma, and enable direct calls by mainline vessels at the ports of Matadi and Boma. By doing so, both ports will resume their historic roles as the preferred natural gateways to the capital city of Kinshasa and its surrounding extensive hinterland, home to a rapidly growing market of 30 million people, the single largest in Central Africa.
The project, requiring an initial investment of €35 million (US$40 million), aims to deliver extensive operational efficiencies and cost savings to the western DRC supply chain and the market as a whole with these progressively realised from 2018 onwards.