Moves to boost efficiency and turnover at port
Its strategic position raises hopes that Freetown could become a transshipment hub

Situated on a peninsula, Sierra Leone’s capital city boasts the third largest natural harbor in the world and is a major commercial shipping port.
Deep enough to handle large ocean-going vessels, the Freetown Port has six general and bulk cargo berths and tanker berths at its oil quai. The country’s main exports—including cacao, coffee, ginger, fish and minerals— pass through there, while principal imports received include machinery, manufactured consumer goods, foodstuffs, transportation equipment, and fuels.
During World War II, Britain maintained an important naval base at Freetown. Two smaller ports are located at nearby Pepel and at Bonthe, on Sherbro Island, but Freetown is the only international port.

P.E.M. KEMOKAI General Manager of Sierra Leone Ports Authority

Trade at Freetown came to a virtual standstill as a result of the civil war. Now it is growing again, and the port has huge potential for development, which its operators, the Sierra Leone Ports Authority, are determined to fulfill.
“We are in a strategic position and we want to become a transshipment port,” says P.E.M. Kemokai, the General Manager. “We want to make this a model port in the sub-region and we are well on track to achieving it.”
Currently, most of the shipping that uses Freetown originates from Europe, but the aim is to cater for traffic from South America and the United States “We intend to attract larger vessels,” says Capt. Kemokai. “There is no problem with the channel and the petroleum jetty can accommodate very large tankers. We are also planning structural improvements.”
Non-port functions, such as security, the marine slipway and the running of the ferries, are being divested to private companies so that the focus is on port operations and turnover time.

PHILIP LUKULEY Executive Director of Sierra Leone Maritime Administration

“We want to acquire additional cargo handling equipment to improve our efficiency and shorten the time a vessel spends in port,” says Capt. Kemokai. “Some of the container vessels have running costs of $50,000 a day, so the less time they stay in port, the better it is for the ship- owners and the more advantageous it is for us because we are able to make more money. We also intend to develop a free trade zone.”
Outsourcing port security to a private company is seen as a way of ensuring that goods in transit are protected by a dedicated service instead of being a secondary activity of the port authority. Currently, around 1,000 people work at the port, but outsourcing should reduce the number to around 700.
Maritime activities are regulated by the Sierra Leone Maritime Administration (SLMA), established just over two years ago with the assistance of the International Maritime Organization (IMO). The administration’s responsibilities include maritime safety and security in both coastal and inland waters.
“Our role is to ensure the safety of the vessels and crew that come here,” says the administration’s executive director, Philip Lukuley.

The third largest harbor in the world, Freetown Port has the capacity to attract larger vessels

Ship-owners and operators have frequently expressed concerns about the safety of their vessels in African territorial waters because of the lack of navigational aids. In its action plan for 2002-2007, the SLMA says it should be “mandatory” that navigational aids such as buoys, a lighthouse and other lights are provided to enable vessels to find their way to enter port, particularly at night. An approach has been made to the World Bank to fund the items, along with search and rescue boats.
“There are several dangerous spots in our territorial waters as well as in our inland waterways,” says Mr. Lukuley. “I am trying to get a survey done so we know exactly which are the dangerous places and we are making plans to clear all wrecks.”

Another objective is to regulate and develop maritime transport on the inland waterways, which played a major role in the economic development of the country during colonial days. The SLMA believes it can again, now that peace has been restored.
All passenger boats operating within the inland waterways are to be required to provide life jackets for their passengers. Moves are also being made to provide communication equipment.

Safety checks by traffic monitors have reduced sea accidents considerably

Rehabilitation of jetties and wharves is planned, and coastal trade is expected to pick up, providing a faster and cheaper alternative form of bulk transportation for both passengers and freight.
Following the administration’s appointment of traffic monitors to carry out safety checks, the spate of sea accidents, particularly involving boats plying between Freetown and Conakry in neighboring Guinea, has reduced considerably.