(Ecofin Agency) - In the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), state-owned Lignes Maritimes Congolaises (LMC) is about to add two vessels to its fleet, according to its Board Chairman Lambert Mende Omalanga. The executive announced the move on May 6 in Matadi, after meeting with Kongo Central Governor Grâce Bilolo. 

“I have come to announce to the governor of Kongo Central province, Grâce Bilolo, that we are about to acquire two floating units to improve working conditions for our provincial management,” Omalanga said.

Mende, a former Communications Minister, emphasized that the two ships have been ordered from shipyards in Rotterdam, Netherlands, as part of LMC’s five-year recovery plan (2023–2027). Under the latter, the firm should buy five new vessels and second-hand multipurpose ships, using state funds. 

The five-year plan aims to bolster the state-owned company’s fleet and increase its share of Congolese foreign trade shipping from 0.3% in 2021 to 2% by 2027. This would represent a growth in transported volume from 45,000 tonnes to 395,195 tonnes.

To support this expansion, LMC also plans to develop dry ports in Matadi, Boma, Lufu, and Kinshasa, reinforce storage facilities in Dar es Salaam, and build a dry port in Kolwezi (Lualaba). The company intends to acquire containers to optimize the logistics chain and improve trade flow.

LMC used to have 10 sea-going vessels, but its whole fleet was liquidated two decades ago. The public shipowner was created in 1974 to handle the international maritime transport of Congolese goods.

Lambert Mende also noted that the government has instructed LMC to collect shipping royalties, a measure intended to compensate the company for past losses.

This article was initially published in French by Ronsard Luabeya (intern)

Edited in English by Ola Schad Akinocho