Port of Call: Lome, Togo
Although Togo is one of the smallest countries in Africa, its location is vital for the economy of several surrounding countries. Lome is the capital city and major port in the country of Togo in West Africa. Strategically located between Ghana, Burkina Faso and Benin, Lome serves as a major transit point for international cargo going into those areas. In 1968 the port became a free trade zone thus opening up transit into the capital cities of Accra, Ghana and Cotonou, Benin. Today the port of Lome continues to grow as new state of the art equipment is being brought in to increase the capacity of cargo handled and to better handle the various international shipping services offered.
In order to increase the ports reach into neighboring countries, the port of Lome has several construction projects slated for the near future. Among the several projects include the construction of a third container dock and the creation of a rail link between Lome and the Sahel region of Africa. With the rise of overseas car and container shipping service to Togo, the port authority of Lome has recognized the importance of improving the port’s infrastructure.
Some notable features of the port of Lome, Togo:
- The port of Lome offers tours of the harbor to schools, universities and other organizations interesting in observing the port in action and understanding the role of the port and its importance in Africa.
- The port of Lome has its own oil refinery and has over 1,752 meters of quay, allowing it to accommodate up to 10 vessels at one time.
- Lome services its landlocked neighbors Niger, Burkina Faso and Mali
- Lome is Togo’s only commercial port. Another port exists in Kpeme, however this port only handles phosphate shipments
- Container shipments account for approximately 52% of total shipping traffic. In addition to containers, construction equipment shipping is also popular with incoming roll-on / roll-off vessels serviced by Grimaldi Lines arriving from the United States and Europe.
For more information about the port of Lome, Togo please visit the Port Authority of Lome Website. To receive international car, high heavy, construction equipment and machinery shipping quotes from the USA to Lome, Togo, visit our rates request pages.
