Port Overview

The Office de la Marine Marchande et des Ports (OMMP) is the port authority for the Port of Rades.  The port of Radès specializes in container traffic and rolling units (mainly trailer traffic). Thus, the port of Radès ensures 21% of the overall traffic, 79% of the tonnage of containerized goods, 76% of the tonnage of goods loaded in rolling units, 76% of EVP container traffic, 80% of the traffic of rolling units and 18% of the traffic of ships registered in the whole of the Tunisian commercial ports.

In 2019, the Port of Rades handled almost a total of 7.9 million tons of cargo, including 5.8 million tons of foreign cargoes and over 74,000 tons of domestic cabotage, of which 1.8 million tons is containerized cargo. The major cargo categories handled in the Port of Rades included hydrocarbons (970,000 tons) and cereals (642,000 tons) as well as other liquid and solid bulk cargoes and general merchandise.

Rades port is located on the southern bank of the Tunis canal. The commercial port of Radès comprises two terminals: 

• Terminal specialized in containers and rolling units.
• Specialized berths.

The access channels: 6.3 km (3.5 miles), depth 12 meters (39.33 ft).

Infrastructure

The canal basin covering a surface of 63.6 hectares separates the port installations of the northern bank from those of the southern bank. This basin, initially dredged at a depth of 11.5 meters, comprises:

• A turning circle exterior to the central basin, with a diameter of 370 meters, dredged at 12 meters, is fitted out below the port’s access channel
• A turning circle with a diameter of 300 meters is located at the level of specialized dock posts of the southern bank.

The access to the terminal goes through the main basin of the port of La Goulette and then through a channel dredged at -12 meters and with head room of 42 meters.

Port Link: Rades Port, Tunis

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

Port Picture

Rades Port Site Plan

Description and Contacts of Key Companies

The Office of the Merchant Marine and Ports (OMMP) is the main agency responsible of the all administrative and financial activities and coordination.

The maritime companies operating in ports sector play an important role in the development and promotion of Tunisia's foreign trade. In fact, 98% of the foreign trade is carried out by sea through the 7 commercial seaports. These ports handled in 2019 around 33 million tones, 985 passenger miles and 420 passenger cars. The maritime transport and ports sector include almost 560 companies working in the maritime professions, freight forwarders and port professions and offering almost 6000 direct jobs. 

For additional information on port contacts, please see the following links: 4.4 Port and Waterways Contact List and PORT COMPANIES CONTACT LIST.

Port Performance

The port of Radès specializes in the traffic of containers and rolling units (mainly trailer traffic). It provides 21% of overall traffic, 79% of the tonnage of containerized goods, 76% of the tonnage of goods loaded in rolling units, 76% of container traffic in TEUs, 80% of traffic in rolling units and 18% of traffic of ships registered in all Tunisian commercial ports. The port of Rades has installed automatic management systems (TOS) for containers and rolling units at the port of Radès, between the Tunisian stevedoring and handling company (STAM) and the Tunisian company NEXSTEP and the Spanish company Karlomek, operating in the port management equipment sector. The installation of the Smart Gate systems and TOS in the port of Rades is part of the implementation of investment projects included in the export development program (PDE III). It is  financed by the World Bank in order to improve services and increase profitability indicators in the port through the high information and communication technologies adopted in ports.

Handling performance in 2019

The volume of trade at the port of Rades increased by 5% in 2019 at 6.474 Million Dinars (MD), against 6.163 MD in 2018. A number of investment projects were executed in 2019 at the port, including the commissioning of the new RTG cranes, the new terminal management system “TOS” (Terminal Operating System) and the smart gate project, thus enabling reduce waiting times for boats, the number of containers on the docks and average daily container removal. Thus, the activity of 20-foot containers increased by 1% (288,860) against 2,801,004 in 2018 and that of port tractors increased from 111,122 to 112,391 in 2019.

The loading and unloading performance of container vessels has reached 4 vessels per hour in the past two years and vessel waiting times have decreased to two days compared to five in 2018, in addition to the increase in the average daily collection at 451 containers.

The number of boats that docked in 2019 reached 1,120 boats, registering a decrease of 2% compared to 2018 (1,147 boats).

The port of Radès is unable to accommodate large tonnage vessels, depriving its users of significant economies of scale. There is also the problem of duration, an average length of stay of goods which is much longer at the port of Rades. While this duration does not exceed two days in several European ports, it is estimated at the port of Rades at 12 days, which generates significant additional costs for shippers. This is due to the unavailability of cranes, of which half are unavailable for maintenance reasons.

Discharge Rates and Terminal Handling Charges

For information on port rates and charges, please see the following link: http://www.worldportsource.com/ports/review/TUN_Port_of_Rades_2160.php

Berthing Specifications

The terminal also has four specialized berths with a total length of 640 meters. The berth handling hydrocarbons and other liquid bulk is 170 meters long with alongside depth of 9.45 meters. The cereals berth, which includes a silo, is 190 meters long with alongside depth of 9.75 meters. The K.D. Multi-bulk berth, handling solid and liquid bulk cargoes, is 160 meters long with alongside depth of 9.45 meters. A final berth receiving conventional bulk carriers handles a variety of goods. It is 120 meters long with alongside depth of 7.2 meters.

General Cargo Handling Berths

Port Handling Equipment

OMMP manages all port equipment. The floating comprises 2 pilot boats, 1 floating crane of 50- 90 tons capacity, 4 tugboats, 2 mooring boats and 1 service boats. Four weigh bridges of up to 120 tons capacity are available.

http://ports.com/tunisia/port-of-rades/

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.

Terminal Information

Multipurpose Terminal

The Customs-controlled zone of the container and RO-RO terminal of the port of Radès has a surface of 48ha, comprising 6 hangars with a total surface of 50ha, 3ha of which are warehouses.

Handling materials

• 5 pneumatic cranes

Container terminal equipment

• 22 lifting tackles
• 10 reach-stackers
• 46 RO-RO trucks

Support equipment 

• 2 tugboats (3200, 1600 HP)
• 3 patrol boats (Piloting)
• Mooring boats
• Cleaner boat

Mooring service is provided by 2 companies duly approved by the OMNP.

Grain and Bulk Handling 

There is available bagging equipment for grain and bulk cargoes. All types of cargo handling equipment pallets, forklifts etc. are available. 

Main Storage Terminal

Faced with the geometry of the port, the remoteness of the storage areas of the quays, the existence of stores and hangars near the quays, the intersection between containerized traffic and ro-ro traffic, and the existence of a significant activity of regular lines , STAM and the  the port authority, has devoted platforms 1, 6 and 7 to container ships and the other platforms to ro-ro ships. Store No. 2 was demolished in order to gain significant storage space bordering on platform No. 6.

STAM has drawn up a major investment plan on the order of 76MD which aims to increase the number and quality of equipment available:

• The acquisition of 6 RTGs, (amounting to 33MD), new equipment in Tunisia which will allow block storage of 6 rows and which have the capacity to store up to 5 levels, which will increase the port storage capacity to reach 16,000 TEUs.
• Concentrate the container activity on platforms 1, 6 and 7, which practically leads to the division of the port into two terminals: a container terminal and a ro-ro terminal.
• The redevelopment of solid land and storage areas adjacent to platforms 1, 6 and 7 which are operated by RTGs for an amount of 11.5MD.
• The acquisition of SMART GATE technology which will allow the organization and planning of the flow of goods at the entry and exit gates of the terminal, TOS Data center and training actions have been financed by the World Bank as part of the export promotion program PDEIII approximately (7MD)
• The acquisition of 2 Reachstackers, 2 empty Handler, 20 roro trucks and 14 port trailers for 14MD.
• Implementation of a TOS system (Terminal Operating System) for an amount of 10.5MD. This project started initially in 2010 and stopped just after the revolution. He then took over through operator training cycles and the installation of the necessary equipment.

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

As part of the development of a logistics activity area adjacent to the commercial port, space has been reserved to provide value-added services as well as storage space to help decongest the port. The land is located west of the port of Radés and separated from it by the Radès-La Goulette crossing structure with a total area of 46.5 Ha. A call for tenders has been launched for the extension and construction of platforms 7, 8 and 9 at the Port of Radès. The extension will significantly increase the docking capacity of container ships, and will rationalize the use of the medians adjacent to berths. The port of Radès is linked to the hinterland and to the industrial estates of Tunis-Megrine-Ben Arous by the road MC33, linked in its turn to the motorway Tunis-M’saken by the highway RN1 at less than 10km from the port. The container terminal as well as the specialized posts are linked to the railroad network by means of mixed tracks (metric and normal).

Port Security

• 24/7 monitoring the port and extension areas with more than 400 CCTV cameras
• Running all Port Operations by the Terminal Operating System. (TOS)
• Monitoring port operations online by the users