• Lomé Container Terminal to receive 9 new Konecranes forklifts in Q2 2026.

• Investment supports capacity expansion amid rising transshipment demand.

• Competition intensifies as regional ports exceed 2 million TEUs capacity.

Lomé Container Terminal (LCT) expects the delivery of nine forklifts from Konecranes in the second quarter of 2026. The operator is renewing its equipment fleet to support terminal expansion and meet rising operational demand.

LCT operates as a joint venture between China Merchants Port Holdings and Terminal Investment Limited, a subsidiary of Mediterranean Shipping Company.

The order includes two SMV 4632 TC5 reach stackers and seven SMV 7/8 ECC90 units dedicated to empty container handling. The terminal will use the reach stackers to handle containers across the site, while it will deploy the remaining units for stacking and repositioning empty containers.

LCT serves as the main container freight platform at the Port of Lomé and benefits from the port’s strategic position in West African transshipment flows.

The operator has increased terminal capacity to 2.5 million TEUs from 2 million in recent years. In September 2025, authorities completed dredging works that deepened the access channel to 18.6 meters and widened the turning basin to 550 meters. These upgrades now allow the port to accommodate large vessels ranging from 19,000 to 24,000 TEUs.

This development aligns with the strategy of Mediterranean Shipping Company, which has deployed 24,000-TEU vessels to the region since 2025 amid rising demand. Population growth in key markets such as Nigeria continues to support this demand.

However, the growth trajectory of the Togolese hub faces increasing competition from other West African ports, including Port of Tema, Lekki Port, Port of Cotonou and Port of Abidjan.

In 2025, Abidjan led the region in total traffic with 46.6 million tonnes handled. On the container segment, where Lomé previously dominated, Tema and Lekki have already exceeded the 2 million TEU threshold.

This article was initially published in French by Henoc Dossa

Adapted in English by Ange J.A de Berry Quenum