Port Overview

South Sudan is a landlocked country. Juba Port forms part of a series of freshwater ports that run the country from Juba in the South to Renk on the border with Sudan along the River Nile. There are many offshoots of the main river i.e., Bentiu, however, these are usually only seasonally accessible and only by much smaller boats (20-60 mt). The Sobat River from Ethiopia is also only seasonally accessible for a few months of the year and recent insecurity has reduced the potential opportunities of using this riverway further west than Nasser. Historically, port operators ran operations up to the port of Kosti in Sudan, however, conflict and border closures have made this very difficult in recent times. The river network is a crucial alternative in the economical (compared to air) transport of large quantities of cargo into unity and Upper Nile states.

All port infrastructures are extremely basic. The loading/offloading is completed using porters and in the rainy season, trucks can have difficulty accessing the port areas due to mud build-up. 

Key port information may also be found at: http://www.maritime-database.com

 

Port Location and Contact
Country	South Sudan
Province or District	Central Equatoria State, Juba County
Nearest Town or City with Distance from Port	Name: Juba Km: 0
Port's Complete Name	Juba Port
Latitude	4.831111
Longitude	31.61444
Managing Company or Port Authority	Ministry of Roads and Transport Director General for River Transport
Management Contact Person	Changes are more frequent, so We did not put names
Nearest Airport and Airlines with Frequent International Arrivals/Departures	Airport Name: Juba International Airport (JIA) Airlines: Kenya Airways, Fly Dubai, Ethiopian Airlines, Egypt Air, Rwanda Air, Fly 540, Turkish Air, etc.

Port Picture

Description and Contacts of Key Companies

Various commercial companies are active in the port, from suppliers of heavy handling equipment such as cranes and smaller powerboat operators to large river barge companies. Three well-established barge-operating companies are present at the port. The companies Keer Marine Co, Nile Barges for River Transport Co, and MINCO Ltd. are the most prominent operators with access to large and diversified fleets, which include general, flat-top and fuel barges able to transport available bulk and neo-bulk cargo, as well as bulk and drummed fuel.

Due to the current border closures, these operators are not able to operate in Sudan and some reported that they also don’t have a fully realised fleet capacity. Handling equipment such as heavy-lift cranes and forklifts can be acquired either through barge operators or through a number of commercial companies in the market. These companies, however, don’t necessarily have a permanent presence at the port.

 

For more information on port contacts, please see the following link: 4.4 Port and Waterways Companies Contact List.

Port Performance

Juba port is the main river port in South Sudan. Other main ports in the country are in the towns of Bor, Mangalla, Shambe, Adok, Malakal, Melut and Renk. Barges are not confined to docking at these locations and will travel to where they are needed and where it is safest to dock. General cargo barges docking in Juba can contain anything from food and household goods to building supplies, heavy engineering machinery, vehicles, and fuel.

Port operations in general are constrained by inadequate infrastructure, cargo-handling equipment, and management. A powerful local labour union still controls all labour at the port and determines the loading and unloading charges. The local porter’s union also has access to several motorboats that can be hired directly from the owner/operators. The union has organized these owner/operator boats into a loose corporation and even though it is encouraged that prospective clients acquire their services through the union, the boats can be hired through direct negotiation with the owner.

The access corridor downstream of the port is said to be narrow and rocky which allows for barge entry or exit but not both simultaneously, the rocky bottom also makes docking procedures risky, especially when the river level is low. No permanent mooring fixtures are available, and barges are moored to mango trees growing on the riverbank. Damage to these trees results in a fine, paid either to the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry or to the local community that owns the tree. The riverbank is receding, and erosion is an issue. Unloading/loading is mostly done manually or in the case of containers and heavy loads, a crane from one of the local commercial operators is hired. Barges are normally positioned, as close to flat ground on the riverbank for loading/offloading and using a crane to load/remove containers and heavy loads requires skill.

It is difficult to estimate the annual cargo tonnages at Juba and other ports, as consistent and reliable information is not readily available. Prior to the resumption of conflict, the Juba port authority does require barge operators to notify the port authority of incoming and outgoing vessels including a basic description of cargo; however, the recording system is rudimentary and not comprehensive. More accurate information can be obtained from barge operators, but most are reluctant to share such information. Due to conflict, clearance is required from authorities for any humanitarian barge traffic moving on the river.

Due to the low water between Juba and Bor ports which can ground the barges, Bor is favoured as a loading destination. This is also supported by a relatively good all-weather road from Juba to Bor.

Seasonal Constraints
	Occurs	Time Frame
Rainy Season	Yes	May to October
Major Import Campaigns	No	N/A
Low water levels in some parts during the dry season	Yes, January to May

 

Handling Figures for 2022
Vessel Calls	There are no accurate figures as the offices at the port did not want to provide some information
Container Traffic (TEUs)	Difficult to estimate

 

Handling Figures Bulk and Break Bulk for 2022
Bulk (MT)	N/A
Break bulk (MT)	N/A

Discharge Rates and Terminal Handling Charges

Handling charges for river transport can cost up to US$ 50-35/mt. These charges are subject to location and determined by the porter’s union. Discharge rates are determined through direct negotiations with barge operators or the porter union and are based on the type of cargo that needs to be handled. 

Berthing Specifications

Type of Berth	Quantity	Length (m)	Maximum Draft (m)	Comments
Conventional Berth	1	35m	N/A
Container Berth	0	N/A	N/A
Silo Berth	0	N/A	N/A
Berthing Tugs	0	-	-
Water Barges	0	-	-

No permanent mooring fixtures are available, and barges are moored to mango trees growing on the riverbank or the single concrete jetty. Barges are normally moored as close to flat ground on the riverbank for loading/offloading.

General Cargo Handling Berths

Cargo Type	Berth Identification
Imports - Bagged Cargo	N/A
Exports - Bagged Cargo	N/A
Imports and Exports - RoRo	N/A
Other Imports	N/A

Port Handling Equipment

Juba port has no permanent cargo handling equipment. The port has one concrete jetty and gantry crane; however, the crane is frequently broken down.  Porters who physically load and offload cargo from boats and barges do most of the cargo handling. For heavy and containerised cargo, equipment such as cranes can be hired from private companies and owners for a fee.

The use of the port gantry crane can be negotiated from the port authority directly.

Equipment	Available	Total Quantity and Capacity Available	Comments on Current Condition and Actual Usage
Dockside Crane	No	N/A	N/A
Container Gantries	Yes	1(2.5mt)	The crane is frequently inoperable. Privately operated cranes need to be hired for container loads.
Mobile Cranes	Yes	Varies	Mobile cranes are privately owned.
Reachstacker	No	N/A	N/A
RoRo Tugmaster (with Trailer)	No	N/A	N/A
Grain Elevator with Bagging Machines	No	N/A	N/A
Transtainer	No	N/A	N/A
Forklifts	Yes	Varies	Forklifts are privately owned and need to be hired.

Container Facilities

No permanent container facilities are present. Containers are loaded and offloaded directly to and from waiting trucks utilising locally hired commercial cranes. Rates vary little between operators, and one container counts as one lift. Charged at US$ 150 per lift, an average mobilisation fee of US$ 250 is also applicable. Depending on the amount of work, a daily rate of up to US$ 1,500 can be negotiated.

The storage of containers is the owner's responsibility unless otherwise agreed with the barge operators.

Facilities	20 ft	40 ft
Container Facilities Available	None	None
Container Freight Station (CFS)	No such capacity	No such capacity
Refrigerated Container Stations	No such capacity	No such capacity
Other Capacity Details	-	-
Daily Take-Off Capacity (Containers per Day)	N/A	N/A
Number of Reefer Stations (Connection Points)	None	None
Emergency Take-off Capacity	No Such capacity	No Such capacity
Offtake Capacity of Gang Shift (Containers per Shift)	N/A	N/A

Customs Guidance

Juba port is mainly concerned with the domestic movement of cargo, and since the recent border closures, customs facilities have yet to be available on site. Where applicable, customs clearance for cross-border cargo is handled at land at border entry points or at downstream customs facilities.

 

For more information on customs in South Sudan please see the following link: 1.3 Customs Information. 

Terminal Information

MULTIPURPOSE TERMINAL

No such capacity. All barges dock to load and offload cargo either directly onto the riverbank (300 m) or on the single concrete jetty (35 m). No RoRo facilities are available, and barges moor as close to the riverbank as possible to allow vehicles to board. This requires a great amount of skill.

GRAIN AND BULK HANDLING

No such capacity. Cargo arrives packaged and bagged. 

MAIN STORAGE TERMINAL

No such capacity. Storage remains the responsibility of the cargo owner unless otherwise arranged by barge operators. Plans are in place by various operators to construct storage facilities and holding areas, including cold storage facilities, at dedicated storage yards off-site or at privately owned terminals.

 

Storage Type	Number of Storage Facilities	Area (m2)
Bagged Cargo	0	0
Refrigerated Cargo	0	0
General Cargo	0	10,000m²

Stevedoring

Stevedoring services can be arranged directly with barge operators or directly from the local labour union, which organises all labour at the port. There is also no fixed rate for stuffing or de-stuffing barges or containers, and although general rates exist for certain types of cargo, these would need to be negotiated directly.

There are no labour shortages, and the union has access to more than 70 porters at any one time, with the ability to quickly scale up its labour requirements. Transparency within the pricing structure remains an issue, as the rates are dynamic, vary between the different ports in the country, and are primarily determined by the labour union.  

Hinterland Information

The only means by which cargo can be moved out of the port is by road. Access to the port is generally unrestrictive and privately owned trucks can enter and exit the main port facility.

The cargo transport in and out of the port is the owner's responsibility, but transport can be arranged through the barge operators or private transport companies. Large and smaller companies can provide such services; however, capacity and rates vary.

Port Security

Juba port has basic security with a manned access gate allowing entry into the main port facility. Due to the number of vehicles and people requiring access, enforcing effective access control is problematic. Permanent health and safety, medical and firefighting facilities are not on-site, and the port relies entirely on municipal emergency services.

A perimeter fence surrounds the port facility; however, this fence serves as little deterrence, leaving cargo, vehicles, and other assets at risk.  Barge operators usually have their security that remains on board vessels. Current plans to upgrade the port facilities include, amongst others, the revision of security protocols, implementation of stringent access control measures, and the installation of additional lighting.

Security
ISPS Compliant	No
Current ISPS Level (Level 1 = Normal, Level 2 = Heightened, Level 3 = Exceptional)	N/A, Level 1 = Normal, Level 2 = Heightened, Level 3 = Exceptional
Police Boats	None
Fire Engines	None