Port Overview

The Port of Tobruk is a port located at Tobruk, Libya. Start operating in 1986, it is located in Eastern Libya near the Egyptian border - about 450 km (280 mi) east of Benghazi. The entrance to the main channel into the port is between Tobruk point ( 32.066667°, 24.016667°) and the point of Marsa Ummash Shawush .

As a result of the Libyan Civil War, the port was temporarily closed due to clashes between protestors and government forces and reopened on 28 February 2011 for oil exports. The port re-opened soon after the civil war ended. As of August 2014, all port traffic from the Port of Benghazi is diverted to the port of Tobruk due to the closure of the port in Benghazi as a direct result of the prevailing security situation in Libya.

The port working hours: from Saturday to Thursday, 7:00 to 18:00.

The port still running limited activities out of the working hours and holidays, based on the need.

Port website: http://www.lma.ly/

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

 

Port Location and Contact
Country	Libya
Province or District	Tobruk
Nearest Town or City with Distance from Port	Tobruk 1.5 km
Port's Complete Name	Port of Tobruk
Latitude	32.07675°
Longitude	23.980889°
Managing Company or Port Authority	Libyan Port Company
Management Contact Person	Mohammed Fayaz
Nearest Airport and Airlines with Frequent International Arrivals/Departures	Tobruk Airport Only Libyan Airlines depart and arrive to the airport (Buraq. Afriaqia. Al burniq )

 

Port Picture

Description and Contacts of Key Companies

Tobruk Port is managed and operated by The Libyan Ports Company – Eastern coast.

For more information on port contacts, please see the following link:

4.4 Port and Waterways Companies Contact List

Port Performance

As of August 2014, all port traffic from the Port of Benghazi is diverted to the Port of Tobruk due to the closure of the Port in Benghazi as a direct result of the prevailing security situation in Libya.

The port has ten anchorages, with a six-vessel capacity each.

Seasonal Constraints
	Occurs	Time Frame
Rainy Season	Yes	From October to March
Major Import Campaigns	No
Other Comments	A Mediterranean type of climate prevails. The rainy season is from October to March with heavy showers of rain only along the narrow coast in the northern part of Libya. Issues to consider for Bulk shipping operations.

 

Handling Figures for 2020
Vessel Calls	76
Container Traffic (TEUs)	1,366

 

Handling Figures Bulk and Break Bulk for 2020
Bulk (mt)	232,926
Break bulk (mt)	38,519

Discharge Rates and Terminal Handling Charges

The port tariffs, as advised by the Port Management, are low compared to the other ports of the region, and government subsidies are in place.

On one hand the lower port rates endeavour to keep the costs of the commodities imported into Libya at an affordable rate, however conversely, there is no mechanism in the rates structure or operating budgets to include a percentage for the purchase of equipment, structured maintenance and the development through training of the human capital. The tariffs are very low, being established back to the 1980s. The below table illustrates open yard container storage tariff in Libyan ports in 2020. 

 

Weeks	Approx.Total Port tariff / container
	20 ft (33.2 m³ )	40 ft (76.3  m³)	40 ft (88.4  m³)
1st	300	600	620
2nd	320	639	662
3rd	360	716	749
4th	435	871	922
5th	513	1025	1094

 

 Berthing Specifications

Type of Berth	Quantity	Length (m)	Maximum Draft (m)
Conventional Berth	5	600	7
Container Berth	4	800	8

Port Handling Equipment

Port equipment is managed by the government.

Equipment	Available	Total Quantity and Capacity Available	Comments on Current Condition and Actual Usage
Dockside Crane	No
Container Gantries	No
Mobile Cranes	Yes	2	50 mt and 100 mt
Reachstacker	Yes	2	5x45 mt capacity
RoRo Tugmaster (with Trailer)	Yes	2	5x45 tons capacity
Grain Elevator with Bagging Machines	Yes	2	1x 1 Grain ship pneumatic conveyor 120 mt per hour
Transtainer	Yes	2	45 mt
Forklifts	Yes	10

Container Facilities

Facilities	20 ft	40 ft
Container Facilities Available	90000 m2 open yard to store 20 ft & 40 ft
Other Capacity Details	2000 m2 to store dangerous goods
Emergency Take-off Capacity	150	150

Customs Guidance

According to the national legislation, all humanitarian cargos are exempted from duties and taxes. Exemption letter/certificate should be obtained from MOFA and sent to port authority prior to shipment arrival.

Once the custom clearance agent provides all clearance documents and finalizes the normal process, the shipment will be temporarily released, and transported (the shipment would be escorted by custom police) to the organization’s warehouse.  Normally it takes from one to three working days to temporarily clear the shipment.

The warehouse will be closed and sealed until the Food and Drug Control Centre tests the commodities and confirms the compliance of the shipment with Libyan standards, thus, issuing the final release.

For more information on customs in Libya, please see the following link: 

1.3 Customs Information 

 

Terminal Information

MULTIPURPOSE TERMINAL

Tobruk port berths main activity is receiving General Cargo / Containers / Molding / Livestock / Oil Quay.

 

GRAIN AND BULK HANDLING

The available handling option at the port is to discharge grain and bulk directly to trucks or any mobile tanks to store it outside of the port.

 

MAIN STORAGE TERMINAL

Storage Type	Number of Storage Facilities	Area (m2)
Bagged Cargo	2	1,800
Refrigerated Cargo	N/A
General Cargo	1	50000

Stevedoring

The Port of Tobruk is operated by a governmental company, the Libyan Ports Company.

Hinterland Information

All cleared items are moved out of the port by private trucks. The trucks are categorized by size and type, each truck has a sequence number, and all are recorded in a waiting list. The trucks movement process is managed by the Union of Trucks,

Port Security

The port i said to be International Ships and Port Security (ISPS) compliant, presently undergoing an ISPS Audit Level 2.

 

Security
ISPS Compliant	Yes
Current ISPS Level (Level 1 = Normal,  Level 2 = Heightened, Level 3 = Exceptional)	2
Police Boats	Yes
Fire Engines	No