Passenger ferry services are quite well developed in all the lagoons stretching along the coastline. SOTRA – Société des transports Abidjanais is the sole company running a scheduled ferry services in the Abidjan larger city area along the Ebrie lagoon.

The ferries are purpose build ships with inboard engine and adequate life saving equipment. A study has revealed the existence of a potential demand for 500.000 ferry passages a day. Plans are in hand to increase the existing ferry capacity of SOTRA and to broaden the network of ferry service.

Many private operators are running coastal services at sea or on the lagoon with craftsmen build wooden launches (pinasses) fitted with outboard engines. Their capacities range from 20 to 100 passengers. Basic safety measures are often tampered with.

Out of Abidjan the following townships are served on a more or less regular basis: Grand-Lahou, Ebrah, Moussou, Adiaké and Assinie. However this latter type of transport is solely organized for the ferrying of passengers (often with a lot of personal effects) and is therefore not appropriate for the regular transport of large consignments of relief goods. Save large fleets of small fishing crafts, there is no organized water transport on the lakes or rivers inland. Short sea services between Abidjan and San Pedro can be organized at short notice.

Reputable shipping lines like MAERSK, SDV and MSC are running coastwise container services linking all the West African ports between Dakar in Senegal and Douala in Cameroun.

For information on Cote d'Ivoire government contact details, please see the following link: 

4.2.1 Cote D'Ivoire Government Contact List

For information on Cote d'Ivoire Waterways additional information, please see the following document: 

Cote d'Ivoire Waterways Assessment 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.