Angola’s new Namibe Container Terminal has received its first containerised cargo vessel — an Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) ship carrying 518 containers — nearly a year after the $600 million infrastructure was inaugurated by President João Lourenço in October 2025. The operation, conducted using the terminal’s modern ship-to-shore (STS) cranes, marks the effective launch of cargo handling at the facility, with additional MSC vessel calls already scheduled for this month.
The terminal received the vessel last week. The MSC ship, approximately 250 metres in length, arrived from the Port of Lobito in Benguela province. The 518 containers it carried were offloaded using the state-of-the-art STS cranes installed at the quay.
Domingos Delfim, the Port of Namibe’s Commercial Area Administrator, expressed hope that the call would be “the first of many operations” planned for the new terminal, adding that further MSC vessel calls are already scheduled for 15 and 20 August.
Prior to this cargo operation, the terminal had already received cruise ships — including the SH Diana, arriving from South Africa in April with 166 passengers and crew — but had not yet handled any containerised freight movements.
The container terminal forms part of the Namibe Bay Integrated Development Project, budgeted at approximately $600 million and financed primarily by the Japan Bank for International Cooperation, with participation from Japanese commercial banks. Construction was carried out by the Toyota Tsusho consortium, generating more than 1,500 jobs during the building phase.
The infrastructure was inaugurated in October 2025 by President João Lourenço, alongside the Sacomar Mineral Terminal, at a ceremony attended by Transport Minister Ricardo de Abreu. On that occasion, the head of state noted that the terminal’s new quay bridge, stretching 520 metres, is capable of accommodating Panamax-class vessels of up to 320 metres in length and 250,000 tonnes in displacement.
President Lourenço also underscored the government’s intention to transform the Port of Namibe into a reference logistics hub on the South Atlantic, integrating the port terminals with other modes of transport — including road and rail — through the Moçâmedes Railway. The project also encompasses the future development of a national steel industry, designed to add value to iron ore extracted from the Cassinga mines in Huíla province.
With the formal commencement of containerised cargo operations, the Namibe terminal is now beginning to fulfil the role for which it was designed: reinforcing the logistical and commercial capacity of southern Angola while relieving congestion at the existing multipurpose terminal.
Source: Diário Económico
Original article: https://www.diarioeconomico.co.mz/2026/08/18/mundo/angola/angola-novo-terminal-de-contentores-do-porto-do-namibe-regista-primeiras-atracagens/
