Abu Dhabi’s AD Ports Group signed yesterday a shareholders’ agreement with the French liner giant CMA CGM Group, through its subsidiary CMA Terminals, to jointly develop, manage and operate the New East Mole multipurpose terminal in Pointe Noire, Congo-Brazzaville, for which AD Ports Group received a 30-year extendable concession in June 2023.
With the signing, AD Ports Group and the CMA CGM Group formed a joint venture, majority-owned by AD Ports Group, to develop, manage, and operate the New East Mole multipurpose terminal at the Port of Pointe Noire.
The new terminal will handle containers, general, break-bulk and other types of cargo at the Central West African nation’s biggest Atlantic port.
At the time it obtained the concession, AD Ports Group said it expected to invest about $220m to build a 400-metre quay wall at 16-metre depth, plus a 10-hectare logistics area, during the first phase of the project.
This new agreement comes after the inauguration of CMA Terminals Khalifa Port last December, a $845m container terminal that will eventually expand Khalifa Port’s container capacity of 7.8 million TEUs in 2024 by 33% or 2.6 million TEUs.
“Our investment with AD Ports Group at the Port of Pointe Noire is a new milestone of our of our strategic collaboration between CMA T and AD Ports Group as we enable modern, sustainable ports and maritime infrastructure for the next wave of global trade,” said Christine Cabau Woehrel, executive vice president for assets and operations at CMA CGM Group.
The JV has confirmed that the terminal will be operated as a ‘multi-user’ facility and AD Ports Group will maintain controlling majority ownership in management and operation of the terminal.
Mohamed Eidha Al Menhali, regional CEO at AD Ports Group, added: “We believe this partnership will position the Republic of Congo at the centre of maritime trade, in line with projections for annual growth of 3% to 5% in container volumes forecast for the country over the medium term.”
