Senegal has four ports. Dakar, the main port of the country, contributes for more than 90% of Senegalese foreign trade. The other ports are mainly specialized in the export of commodities such as groundnuts, mangoes, shrimps and other tropical products. These ports are Kaolack, Ziguinchor and Saint-Louis.

Key port information can also be found at: http://www.maritime-database.com/ports/topports.php

Port Overview

The Port of Dakar is at the crossroad between Europe, North America, South America and West Sub-Saharan Africa. It is located on the westernmost coast of Africa, built on a natural crew reef and well protected from Atlantic swell. The port has been opened to commercial traffic since 1865. It provides excellent shelter to ships, and ensures safe access at all times: the highest tides vary between 0.20 and 1.80 metres.

Dakar has one of the largest deep-water seaports along the West African coast. It ranks fifth in cargo volume after Richards-Bay, Durban, Lagos and Abidjan. The Senegalese government has established an independent entity to manage the port, namely the Société Nationale du Port Autonome de Dakar (SN-PAD) or Dakar Port Authority.

The total length of the piers is about 10 km for 40 available berths. The draught is between 10 and 13 meters. The Dakar Port also got a new Logistic Platform to improve their activities. The platform cover 21 hectares, there is 40 000 m2 of Warehouses, 750 parking places for trucks.  The platform regroups also the offices of freight forwarders, customs, wholesalers etc. For now the platform is not totally operational. 

For additional information on the Port of Dakar, please see the following link: Website for Port of Dakar

Port Picture

Description and Contacts of Key Companies

For port company contact details, please see the following link: 4.3 Senegal Port and Waterways Company Contact List

For additional port contact details, please see the following website: Website of Dakar Port Authority

Port Performance

The Port of Dakar was visited by 2858 vessels in 2012. In 2012, the Port of Dakar handled a total of 11 869 557 tons of cargo. The structure of the global traffic goes like this: 60% for importations, 16% of the cargo for exportation, the transit cargo represent 15%, transhipment 6% and fishing represent 3%. Cargo transit to Mali represents 90% of the global transit. In 2012 the traffic to Mali increases of 14%. In 2012, the Port of Dakar handled close to 50 thousand vehicles. Information on Seasonal Constraints not provided

* Bulk and Break Bulk Handling Figures unavaliable however, additional information has been taken from the old LCA and added to suit the new format

Discharge Rates and Terminal Handling Charges

For discharge rates and port costs, please see the following tables:

For additional details on discharge rates and terminal handling charges, please see the following link: Website of Port Charges and Invoicing of Dakar Port Authority

General Cargo Handling Berths

For additional information on the Port of Dakar, please see the following link: Additional Port of Dakar Information

Note: The information provided in the attached document, which has been taken from the old LCA, does not match the structure of the new LCA and is therefore provided separately.

Port Handling Equipment

Hire of labor is generally arranged by labor companies/unions such as SATS, BMO accredited by the PAD and who have their own tariff protocols with companies working in the port. Hire of equipment is mainly governed by the SEMPOS tariff that is applied by most stevedoring companies in the port.

Container Facilities

Customs Guidance

For information on customs guidance, please see section 1.3 Customs Information & 1.4 Shipping Information:

1.3 Senegal Customs Information

Terminal Information

Multipurpose Terminal

The Container Terminal in not directly managed by the Governmental Port Authority “Port Autonome de Dakar” but is assigned to private Companies. Since January 2008, the container terminal is managed by Dubai Port World. The Container Terminal situated in the Northern Zone of Dakar Port covers an area of 24 ha and approx.700 meters of linear quay with three (03) berths dredged from 12 to 13 m. An up-to-date equipment is available for handling services including four (04) wharf gantry cranes (two of which Post-Panamax), four (04) Gottwald cranes on tyres, ten (10) yard gantry cranes, fifteen (15) reach stackers, four hundred (400) plugs and sockets for reefer containers. The annual traffic of around 300 000 TEUs, in constantly growing.

Multipurpose Terminal

For additional information on terminals, please see attached document: Senegal Port of Dakar additional Information

Note: The information provided in the attached document, which has been taken from the old DLCA, does not match the structure of the new LCA and is therefore provided separately.

Main Storage Terminal

Storage facilities managed by Port Authonome de Dakar.

For additional information on storage, please see attached document: Senegal Port of Dakar additional Information

Note: The information provided in the attached document, which has been taken from the old DLCA, does not match the structure of the new LCA and is therefore provided separately.

Stevedoring

Handling operations aboard ships, lifting in storage areas and on the quays, stuffing and shipping of containers and delivery are provided by private companies. The handling equipment is constantly renewed to ensure an efficient service for all categories of cargo and types of ships. It consists of cranes and elevators (reach stackers, front-loaders). The new operator DP World has considerably extended the equipment of the Port of Dakar with four quay cranes (2 panamax and 2 post-panamax) and 10 gantry cranes RTG.

Port Security

Having quickly understood the new security issues in the environment of the international maritime transports, the port committed itself in a vast program of tremendous changes.

With the ISPS code (International Ship and Port facilities Code) coming into force, the Port of Dakar had taken all financial and material steps to make the port installations and operations comply with the directives resulting from the SOLAS (Surf ace Ocean Lower Atmosphere Study) instructions.

For that reason, the Port developed a series of devices:

•  An aid to navigation device located at the port control (Vigie) and equipped with an AIS (Automatical Identification of Ships) system and a functional beaconing system.
•  A waterplan and roads watch system equipped with radars, remote watch systems and nautical patrols
•  A device to secure port access and premises with the development the first polyvalent aid centre equipped with high technology units.