• Gulfcam plans to acquire six vessels to strengthen container transport between Kribi and Douala.
• The company aims to handle up to 50% of freight currently moved mostly by road.
• The move seeks to ease logistics bottlenecks and strengthen Kribi’s role as a regional shipping hub.

Cameroonian shipping company Gulfcam is moving to expand coastal shipping between Kribi and Douala, with plans to acquire six vessels to support the transport of containerized cargo between the two ports.

The announcement was made on March 6 in Douala by Gulfcam’s president, Jean Perrial Nyodog. The company says its goal is to eventually carry about 50% of freight moving between the two cities. Currently, more than 60% of this traffic travels by road, often along degraded routes that increase security risks and lengthen transit times.

Coastal shipping is intended to bypass these road constraints while also serving large vessels that cannot reach the Port of Douala because of its limited draft. Under the system, deep-sea ships would unload cargo at Kribi—Cameroon’s deep-water port—before smaller vessels transport it to Douala.

To restart the service, which operated between 2020 and 2022 before being suspended during the Covid-19 pandemic, Gulfcam has chartered the Atlantic Runner II, a cargo vessel with a capacity of about 1,100 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs).

The 180-meter vessel is equipped with four onboard cranes, carries a crew of 25, and can reach speeds of up to 18 knots. It has been stationed at the Port of Kribi since February 27 and is expected to begin operations this week.

According to Gulfcam, the service will operate through two main segments. The first will handle domestic coastal shipping for containers cleared in Kribi, as well as goods produced by local industries destined for Douala and regional markets.

The second will focus on container transshipment through the Kribi hub, allowing cargo to be redistributed nationally, regionally, and internationally. The company says this model should help strengthen Kribi’s position as a subregional maritime hub.

The system is designed to maximize operational flexibility and streamline container flows between Kribi and Douala in both directions. Each round trip is expected to follow a 10-day rotation, with at least three port calls per month and a targeted volume of about 2,000 TEUs per voyage, including both full and empty containers.

By reviving coastal shipping, Gulfcam hopes to offer a safer and more environmentally friendly transport alternative as logistics challenges continue to grow.

The company was created in 2021 through the merger of the oil carrier Gulfin and the coastal shipping operator Camship-CLGG. Through the project, Gulfcam aims not only to expand revenue and create jobs but also to strengthen its position as Cameroon’s leading national shipping company in a sector largely dominated by foreign operators.

Frédéric Nonos, Business in Cameroon