Ethiopia - 2.1 Ethiopia Port Assessment | Digital Logistics Capacity Assessments

Ethiopia is a land-locked country with no direct access to the sea, hence, is dependent on ports in neighbouring countries. The main corridor into Ethiopia is through Djibouti port for commercial, government and humanitarian cargo. Overall, 95 % of the goods handled by Djibouti Port are destined for Ethiopia. Considering the historical issues of congestion in Djibouti, diversification of ports and corridors is of interest for Ethiopia.

While Djibouti port previously accounted for 99% of the flow of goods in and out of Ethiopia, this has declined to 92% when the country started using Berbera Port. Berbera Port is a shallow port whose proximity to Ethiopia, and hence cost effectiveness, is attractive. However, the river flooding during the rainy season and numerous checkpoints along the Berbera-Wajale Road may cause delays and accessibility challenges.

Alternative ports include ports of neighbouring countries. Mombasa Port is a key entry and exit port in the region and is well connected with over 40 shipping lines calling and providing direct connectivity to 80 seaports worldwide. It is close to Southern Ethiopia, with a new container terminal and other construction underway to increase its capacity. The Lamu Port is also expected to increase capacity as a Kenya Vision 2030 flagship project.

Port Sudan is located on the Red Sea some 475 km by rail northeast of the Nile River. However, due to distance, high transit costs and ongoing conflict, Port Sudan has not been much used by Ethiopia. Ports in Somali and Eritrea remain inaccessible due to conflict and insecurity

Ethiopia also has 9 Dry ports to facilitate transportation of commodities. The dry ports are located in Modjo, Kality, Gelan, Semera, Dire Dawa, Kombolcha, Mekelle, Hawassa and Woreta.

The Modjo dry port is the major inland port in Ethiopia, located about 75 km from the capital city of Addis Ababa. The port became operational in early 2009, with a container handling capacity of 700. This port handles more than 78 % of the nation's imports and has the capacity to accommodate 17,539 TEU containers at a time and its annual container handling capacity has reached up to 136,038 TEU.

Kality port and terminal was established in 2014. The port is located in Addis Ababa at Kality Sub City. The port occupies a total area of 37 hectare while 3-hectare land area is used for container terminal services. The port has the capacity to accommodate 1241 TEU containers at a time and its annual container handling capacity has reached over 23,131 TEU.

Gelan RoRo / vehicles terminal was established in 2014. The dry port is located in Oromia National Regional State, 25 km from the capital. The port occupies a total area of 23 hectare while 4.5-hectare land area is used for Ro Ro/ Vehicles terminal services.

Semara port and terminal was established in 2010. The dry port is located in Afar National Regional State at Semara city.  Semara is located approximately 592 km from Addis Ababa and 270 km from Djibouti, which is the main import and export gate of Ethiopia as a land locked country. The port occupies a total area of 160 hectare while 2.5 hector land area is used for container terminal services. The port has the capacity to handle 1180 TEU containers at a time and its annual container handling capacity has reached up to 2378 TEU.

Dire Dawa port and terminal was established in 2013. The dry port is located in Dire Dawa city administration. Dire Dawa city is located approximately 550 km from Addis Ababa. The port occupies a total area of 0.78 hectare while 0.78-hectare land area is used for container terminal services. The port has the capacity to accommodate 368 TEU containers at a time and its annual container handling capacity has reached up to 3852 TEU.

Kombolcha port and terminal was established in 2013.The dry port is located in Amhara National Regional State at Kombolcha town, which is approximately 380 km from Addis Ababa. The port occupies a total area of 15 hectare while 4-hectare land area used for container terminal services. The port has the capacity to handle 1888 TEU containers at a time and its annual handling capacity has reached up to 4891 TEU.

Mekelle port and terminal was established in 2013. The dry port is located in Tigray National Regional State at Mekelle city, which is approximately 783 km from Addis Ababa. The port occupies a total area of 3 hectare while 3-hectare land area is used for container terminal services. The port has the capacity to handle 1440 TEU containers at a time and its annual container handling capacity has reached up to

Hawassa port and terminal was established in 2018.The dry port is located in Southern Nations and Nationality Peoples Regional State at Hawassa city, which is approximately 300 km from the capital.

The dry port is providing services in its satellite office at Hawassa Industrial Park. The construction of the port will be commenced at the plot of land given from the Hawassa City Administration.

Woreta port and terminal was established in 2019. The dry port is located in Amhara National Regional State at Woreta town, which is approximately 620 km from Addis Ababa. Currently the port is under construction. The port occupies a total area of 20 hectare while 3-hectare land area is going to be used for container terminal services. The port has the capacity to handle 900 TEU containers at a time.

https://www.eslse.et/dryport.html