Port Overview

Located at the very center of Tunisia, the port of Sousse occupies a strategic position with a wide hinterland. The port of Sousse, at 35°49′ latitude north and 10°39′ longitude east, is specialized in the handling of various goods. The OMMP ensures the attributions of maritime authority and port authority in accordance with the legislation in force. It also ensures port police powers in commercial seaports. Finally, its mission is to operate and ensure the operation, maintenance and development of commercial seaports. The operation and maintenance of ports by the OMMP extends, according to Tunisian legislation, extends to the harbors, outbuildings and related port facilities.

In addition of the main activity of diverse goods traffic, the fishing sector also occupies an important place in socio-economic terms in Sousse. The average Tunisian consumes 11 Kg of seafood per year and around 100,000 Tunisians live directly or indirectly from fishing and aquaculture activity. Fishing constitutes the main social and economic framework of several localities and regions of the country.

Access to the port:

• Length: 820m
• Wide: 65m 
• Depth: 10.5 
• Tuning Circle: 300m 
• Docking works

Piloting is obligatory for ships with a tonnage exceeding 300 registered tons. Working hours in the port is open 24 hours a day; pilots and tugboats are available at any hour.

Ships out of Quarantine: Off-quarantine certificates are issued at quay.

Fresh Water: It is supplied at quay by means of hoses and at the request of the captain or the shipping agent. Bunkering is done by tank truck.

Preparation: The port of Sousse is located at 15 km from the international airport of Monastir towards the South and at 150 km from the international airport of Tunis-Carthage towards the North. 

Port website: http://www.ommp.nat.tn/sousse/

Link of the Searates Sousse

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

Port Picture

Port of Sousse Site Plan

Description and Contacts of Key Companies

For information on port rates and charges, please see the following link:  PORT COMPANIES CONTACT LIST

Port Performance

At the Port of Sousse, handling operations are carried out by public and private operators. The private operator is the Group of Handlers of the Center (GMC).  Traffic in 2019 was 6% less than 2018: about 20 million tons cars and approximately 830 ships. 170,000 tourists registered at the port of Sousse during the first quarter 2019.

Discharge Rates and Terminal Handling Charges

The OMMP has recently launched a study on the restructuring of harbor dues and pricing scales.

Details OMMP - Port of Sousse

Berthing Specifications

Acceptable Length & Draught of Quays

General Cargo Handling Berths

Port Handling Equipment

Support Equipment

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 information on Port of Sousse customs information, please see the following link.

Terminal Information

Multipurpose Terminal

The creation of a new specialized port aims to improve the port of Sousse terminal as follows:

1. Modernize the port infrastructure by creating a new port to respond to the growing needs of national and international maritime traffic.
2. Make the Sahel region a regional and international center of trade and services.
3. Take advantage of economies of scale by operating vessels of 80,000 deadweight tons instead of the current 25,000 tons.
4. Drain part of the transshipment traffic of containers and bulk goods in the Mediterranean.
5. Create a synergy between the port and the economic and logistical activity areas of the region and ensure the integration of different modes for the development of multimodal transport terminal.

Capital of the Tunisian Sahel, Sousse or "Hadramut" of its Phoenician name, is the 2nd largest city after Tunis. It was chosen in the 9th century AD as the maritime capital of the Aghlabids. Since independence, Sousse has contributed significantly to the country's economic growth since it contains one of the most important commercial ports as well as one of the most famous leisure seaside resorts in Tunisia, in this case the El Kantaoui port.

The commercial port of Sousse benefits from large-scale programs, like the works redevelopment of its northern quays and technical and economic studies dedicated to the enlargement of the port, generating an envelope of 13 million dinars. Port redevelopment studies of the port of Sousse recommend the restructuring of the port infrastructure, the establishment of a station to accommodate the largest cruise ferries at the north shore, as well as the annexation of an area of 3.4 hectares on the south shore side, which facilitates the shoreline transfer of commercial activities and the promotion of freight traffic.

The port of Sousse constitutes a link between the various Tunisian commercial ports, especially since it coexists with the port of Ennfidha, which, when completed, will offer 2500 meters of quays. The same goes for the new deep-sea port of Ennfidha, with the commercial potential it will present in terms of maritime imports and exports of goods and the modern logistical services it should offer,  is likely to provide Tunisia an international center of trade and services.

Grain and Bulk Handling

• breakbulk: Depth 9.8 m. Bulk: Depth 9.7 m.
• Tankers: LOA 250 m., draft 10.6 m., depth 10.6 m.
• Gas: LOA 150 m., draft 8.2 m., depth 8.2 m.

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.

Maritime ports Code in Tunisia (French)

Hinterland Information

The Port of Sousse 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 Asia, crossing the Suez Canal. Most others are travelling out of the Mediterranean Sea to the Atlantic Ocean.

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.