• Lomé begins dredging to handle larger container ships
• Port traffic hits record 2 million TEUs in 2024
• Strategic hub for regional transshipment and landlocked countries
  

Lomé Container Terminal (LCT) has launched dredging operations to deepen the basin, turning circle, and access channel. The project aims to improve navigability and accommodate larger container ships at the Port of Lomé, in Togo.

The initiative is part of a broader plan to boost the operational capacity of the Port of Lomé, a key West African hub for shipping giant MSC. In recent months, MSC has been deploying vessels with a capacity of 24,000 TEU (twenty-foot equivalent units) to the region. The move comes as consumption levels in some countries, such as Nigeria, have risen due to population growth.

Given its strategic location, Lomé serves as a transshipment point for other regional ports and as a key maritime gateway for landlocked nations, including Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger. Port traffic has grown to 30,641,830 tons in 2024, with nearly 20.2 million tons of transshipped goods. Containerized freight surpassed the 2 million TEU mark for the first time.

In a recent interview with Ecofin Agency, Gregory Krief, General Manager of MSC Togo, noted that the terminals in Abidjan and Tema are primarily focused on handling traffic for their domestic and cross-border corridors.

Henoc Dossa