Port Overview

The port of La Goulette is one of the most popular destinations in the western basin of the Mediterranean. The port of La Goulette is the converging point of the main Tunisian road and railroad networks. In addition to its transit and cruise activities, the port of La Goulette also receives ships carrying homogeneous cargos: cars, bulk cereals, various products. However, the development plan of the port provides for its specialization as a port exclusively reserved for passenger and tourist traffic.

The Access Channel: Length 3.5 miles = 6,3 Km, depth 12 meters = 39’04’’

Superstructures Warehouse:35 600 m², Platforms: 25 Ha

Dock length: 1096 ml

Passengers Station: Total surface area: 6.5 ha, Capacity: 1160 cars, Waiting room: 5200 m²

Services provided:

• Banks (change) 
• Free shop
• Refreshment area
• Sale of hand-crafted articles
• Kiosk
• Office of Tunisians Abroad
• National Office of Tunisian Tourism
• Tunisian Post Office
• Pay phones
• Ticket agency (Shipping companies)

Administration:

• Phytosanitary control
• Veterinary control
• CERT (Telecommunication study and research centre) 

Approach: nautical access to the port of La Goulette is provided by a dredged channel at - 12 m, length 6.4 km and width 100 m; marked with 10 buoys.

La Houle: North West (strongest and most frequent is 22%)

Tides: Irregular, between 20 and 40 cm, 60 cm in the event of a storm.

The currents: southward at rising tide (stream current) and northward at ebb tide (ebb current), with a speed between 0.1 and 0.3 m / s → Generally oriented from North to South

Dominant Winds: From the Northeast sector, in summer. From the North West sector, in winter. 

Port website: http://www.ommp.nat.tn/goulette/?id_port=1

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

Port Picture

Description and Contacts of Key Companies

Terminals 5, 6, and 7 offers the usage of all commodities and complies with standard norms ISO 9001 and ISPS code of security and safety. OMMP is responsible of the all administrative and financial activities and coordination. For additional information on port contacts, please see the following link: LINK PORT COMPANY

Port Performance

Established in 1835 and with a privileged location 10 km from Tunis (the capital), the Port de la Goulette specializes in the processing of passenger traffic and cruise lines. Passenger traffic in 2019 marked a slight increase of 1%, or 829 000 passengers. The number of cars on the other hand remained steady compared to 2017, about 475,000 cars in 2016.  Conversely, the traffic of cruise passengers experienced total paralysis since March 2015, following the terrorist attacks of Bardo Museum.  The total passenger vessels increased by 2%, but still lower than the number recorded since 2018, which is approximately 730 ships, less than 6% compared to 2017. 61,000 tourists registered at the port of La Goulette during the first quarter 2018.

Discharge Rates and Terminal Handling Charges

For information on port rates and charges, please see the following link: PORT RATES/TARIFFS PAGE.

Berthing Specifications

Docking Works 

General Cargo Handling Berths

Port Handling Equipment

 Support equipment

• 1 tugboat = 3200 hp
• 1 tugboat = 1600 hp
• 3 patrol boats
• Dock cleaning boat “MAIN BLEUE”
• 2 telescopic passenger gangways
• Floating platform – 30m/40m – Simultaneous docking of two ships (capacity 22 T per axle).

Container Facilities

Customs Guidance

Customs clearance consists of presenting the goods at a Customs office and allocating them a Customs system. On reaching Customs, goods are automatically sorted by the SINDA (Automated Customs Information System) according to certain criteria, especially the nature of the product and the importer. The sorting leads to a system of channels: the "green channel" for goods which present no risk (brief inspection of the documents), the "orange channel" for medium level risks (normal inspection), the "red channel" for extreme risks (complete inspection).

The inspection may consist of x-raying the whole container, but also x-raying or opening each package. When they have been inspected, the goods receive a temporary collection permit which allows them to be stocked for further inspection or a permit for clearance inward. The latter can take up to 11 days.  In total, according to the WTO and in June 2005, the time required for Customs clearance, for unbranded products subject to foreign trade formalities, from arrival at the port/airport to clearance inward, varied from 7 to 20 days. Customs duties are about 3%. The principle is to pay duties and taxes in cash.

for more information about Customs in Tunisia, please see the following link: 1.3 Customs Information.

Terminal Information

Multipurpose Terminal

The port of La Goulette is particularly characterized by passengers as well as cruise ship  traffic. It is a multipurpose port as well as by a Duty-free Zone. 

Infrastructures: The main basin: 63.6 hectares, dredged at -11.5 meters (channel inside the basin) and has a 370 m diameter dredging circle dredged at -12 meters and laid out downstream of the port entrance pass

Berthing structures

These works are as follows:

• The Commerce quay (North) post (1) with return (1 bis) with a length equal to 146 m, and a draft of -8.2 m and -5.1 m respectively.
• The Commerce quay (North) Stations (2, 3, 4, and 5) with a length equal to 584 m, and a draft of -8.2m for station number 2, and -8.8m for 3, 4, and 5.
• The Quai de Commerce (North) post (6) car-ferries + classic ships with a length equal to 180 m and a draft of - 8.8m.
• The post (7) car-ferries 180 m long, and a draft of - 8.8m.
• The commercial port of La Goulette offers a quay line with a total length of 1090 ml.
• Ro-Ro ships.

Cruise terminal

2 berths specializing exclusively in the treatment of cruise ships over a length of 657 ml, and a draft of -9 m and - 8.8 m.

Harbor Station

The commercial port of La Goulette has a passenger terminal at its northern end located at the front of the Port opposite berth n ° 7 which is served by a platform and an access ramp allowing docking and handling of motorized passenger ships (car ferries). This terminal is made up of:

• Three stations with a floor area of ​​6.5ha and a car capacity of 1600 cars.
• A passenger room for the treatment of pedestrian passengers with an area of ​​5000 m².
• 04 berths served by a floating platform to accommodate two ships simultaneously and to process RoRo Pax type ships.
• 02 mobile telescopic gangways on rails to ensure pedestrian passage between the ship and the reception room

Protective structures

• South dike in length: 944 m
• North dike in length: 1000 m

Grain and Bulk Handling

From January 2013 the Tunisian stevedoring and handling company (STAM), has officially inaugurated of the new multi-bulk quay located on the south shore of La Goulette commercial port. This 200-meter-long wharf with a handling capacity of more than 1.5 million tonnes is intended for the traffic of solid bulk, such as soybeans, corn and cereals.

Putting this port space into operation has reduced the cost of handling goods and achieve yields in excess of 6000T / D. Consequently, demurrage borne by shippers will be eliminated and the logistics costs of transport will be reduced. STAM is temporarily operating this wharf, pending responses to the announcement of the call for tenders made by the Office of the Merchant Marine and Ports for the concession of this port space.

The STAM has equipped this quay with three 12m³ skips, three 28m³ hoppers, a trax, a weighbridge and has assigned qualified personnel to ensure commercial operations.

Main Storage Terminal

Stevedoring

OMMP performs all stevedoring activities which consist of the loading and unloading of ships and the performance of various tasks required when the vessel is in port, including lashing and unlashing of cargo.

Hinterland Information

The Port of Goulette is connected to the hinterland and the region's industrial estates by the MC33 highway. The container terminal and specialized berths are also linked to the rail network by both metric and normal tracks. Goods are transported out of the port by trucks.

Most trucking companies are members of the Port “Office de la Marine Marchande et des Port (OMMP) and all trucking companies operating at the port must be registered with the Shipping Association of Tunisia (AMT).

There are also vessels that depart from Tunisian ports and travel coastwise east to Asian countries crossing Suez Canal that transport cargo to that region of the North African and Middle east. Most others are travelling out of Mediterranean Sea to Atlantic Ocean.

Road Access

The port of La Goulette is linked to the national road network by expressways linking the town of La Goulette to the capital Tunis. 

• The access to the GP8 and the motorway Tunis-M’saken is situated in the capital Tunis.
• This access was improved through the realization (2006) of a crossing structure linking the northern bank to the southern bank of the canal 

Rail Access

The port of La Goulette is linked to the (metric) railroad network by means of the TGM line linking the town center to the northern suburbs and intended for passenger transport. 

Overview of port traffic

The port of La Goulette specializes in the reception of passenger ships and cruise lines. It also receives ships carrying cars, trailers and rolling vehicles.

Port Security

• 24/7 monitoring the port and extension areas with more than 250 CCTV cameras
• Running all Port Operations by the Terminal Operating System. (TOS)
• Monitoring port operations online by the users