French investment and industrial holding conglomerate Bolloré Group has set in motion a USD120 million project to extend the container terminal at the Port of Freetown in Sierra Leone.
Bolloré Africa Logistics, a subsidiary of Bolloré Group, will expand the capacity of Freetown Terminal by building up a new 270-meter quay with a draft of 13 meters, backed by 3.5 hectares of storage yard, taking the total capacity of the container terminal to 750,000 TEUs.
Two new ship-to-shore gantries and four gantry cranes will be set up at the terminal with the goal of doubling the productivity within four years. The new quay will be operational within three years.
Philippe Labonne, CEO of Bolloré Africa Logistics, said: “This is a great opportunity for the Bolloré Group and our Sierra Leoneans partners to develop the Port of Freetown into the gateway to Sierra Leone and its hinterland, and a transshipment port”.
Bolloré Africa Logistics, which has been managing the container terminal via the Freetown Terminal organisation since 2011, has already invested USD 37 million in yard rehabilitation and in the purchase of equipment to modernize the facility, enabling a volume increase of around 30% in the last four years.
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