MSC has become the first of the shipping majors to deploy megaships in West Africa, launching the African Express service in late April to serve routes between Asia and the largest ports on the West African coast.
The 24,000 box containers MSC Diletta and MSC Turkiye will primarily run between China, South Korea and the Port of Lome in Togo, and Abidjan in the Ivory Coast. The move aligns with MSC’s broader expansion efforts following its $6.1bn acquisition of Bolloré Africa Logistics in December 2022, and also marks a turning point for the shipping industry.
Though MSC has led the way by being the first to deploy megaships in Africa, other carriers are actively scaling their services and infrastructure in the region in what is a collective signalling of its growing importance to global shipping networks.
In May, Hapag-Lloyd reaffirmed its intent to gain a foothold in the market when it launched an enhanced West Africa Express service, connecting the Turkish ports of Izmit, Gemlik and Istanbul to Tema (Ghana), Cotonou (Benin) and Lagos (Nigeria), aiming to improve transit times and schedule reliability. The Grimaldi Group and Marguisa Shipping Lines have also added and expanded services in the region.
The expansions signal a clear intent to capitalise on the growth in trade between the two continents. Indeed, in 2024 trade between China and Africa reached $295.56 billion, an uptick of 4.8% on the previous year, with Chinese exports to Africa rising by 3.5%, and imports from Africa to China increasing by 6.9%.
Beyond China, countries like India, South Korea, and Vietnam are expanding their trade relationships with West Africa, driven by the region’s growing consumer markets and resource availability.
The continued growth in trade has been matched by a concerted move to expand port infrastructure across West Africa and to standardise port operations and procedures. Of the former, Ghana’s Tema Port is undergoing a $1.5bn facelift to increase its capacity to 3.7 million TEU, while Africa Global Logistics plans to invest over €60 million at Abidjan. Tanger Med Engineering, meanwhile, is set to modernise Liberia’s strategic ports, including dredging operations to accommodate larger vessels.
The modernisation is being matched by efforts to align port infrastructure, systems and procedures with international norms and best practices, a move that will be foundational to Africa’s role on the global trade landscape.
At present, Africa’s ports vary widely in capacity, processes and equipment, making coordination between them difficult, and movements across borders challenging. However, in line with the FAL Convention (effective from January 1, 2024), African ports are establishing Maritime Single Windows (MSWs) to improve efficiency, while proposals for a Continental African Maritime (CAM) Corridor aim to harmonise port laws and standards across the continent. This in turn make it a more attractive proposition for larger carriers.
It is clear then, that the arrival of megaships signals more than a change in scale – it reflects the economic awakening of West Africa and its full integration into global shipping networks.
Author: Tom Holmes
Source: Ti Insight
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