Port Overview

The Port of Freetown, the principal commercial port in Sierra Leone, is the most important entry gate for trade and commerce to the country. The Freetown Port (Queen Elizabeth II Quay) is located within the busy and congested eastern end of the city. It serves as the major logistics hub for Sierra Leone’s imports and exports. As an essential component of the country’s economic prosperity, this land is valuable in terms of its limited area and the need to maximize its efficiency.

Freetown Port has one of the finest natural harbours on the West African Coast, with a well-protected anchorage, a draft at berth of 7-10 meters, a length of quay of 1,067 meters consisting of 6 berths, and sizable and fenced land area allocated for the port.

The main port for International trade is located in the city of Freetown in Sierra Leone. Freetown has many small ports for boats (Queen Elizabeth II Quay, Cline Town Government Warf, Kissy Ferry Terminal, Kissy Oil Terminal and Tagrin Ferry Terminal), Oil Tankers, Fishing Vessels and Ferries. A concession agreement was entered into on 25 November 2010 between the Sierra Leone Port Authority, the Government, and the National Commission for Privatization, Bolloré Ports, and the Freetown Terminal Limited. This agreement was in relation to the concession of the Container Terminal (berth 3-6) which came into effect as of March 2011, to use, manage, operate and maintain berths 3-6 and all surrounding areas along with the fixed assets. In September 2015 Nectar Sierra Leone Bulk Terminal concluded agreements for berths 1 & 2.

Key port information can also be found at: 

Maritime-Database.com 

World Port Source

Port Picture

Description and Contacts of Key Companies

The key companies and their duties within the port include Sierra Leone Port Authority, considered as the landowner of the port. Freetown Terminal Ltd manages berths 3 to 6 which include the container yard, RoRo and break bulk cargoes. Nectar Sierra Leon Bulk Terminal manages berths 1 and 2 for bulk and break bulk cargoes. The transportation by road is provided by the Indigenous Transport Owners Association (ITOA). The security is provided by Protec for Freetown Terminal Ltd and Leone International Security for the Bulk Terminal. Holland Shipyards Sierra Leone Ltd. undertakes new building, repair and conversion of small and medium-sized vessels. Cargo tracking is done by TPMS (Transport and Port Management System), also in charge of tracking and the security of cargo and containers at the Port. Port Stevedore Labour Company and Leon Duck Labour company are also operating at the port.

To access the key port companies contact list, please click on the following link: 4.4 Sierra Leone Port and Waterways Company Contact List

Port Performance

Six vessels can be berthed and operated at the same time. The cargo Handling MTs includes container volume. The channel draft is 11 meters; the longest vessel size should not be more than 236 meters. The port is not congested. There is no established priority for humanitarian cargo. The average waiting time between arrival and berthing is 0.6 day per Freetown Terminal Ltd. 

Discharge Rates and Terminal Handling Charges

There is no website containing the rates and tariffs. However, it is possible to find all the discharge rates and terminal handling charges in the following annexes:

Annex I: Sierra Leone Freetown Port Clearing Tariffs for Containers

Annex II: Sierra Leone Freetown Port Port Authority Tariffs

Annex III: Sierra Leone Freetown Port Transportation Tariffs for Containers

Annex IV: Sierra Leone Freetown Terminal Port Operation Charges

Berthing Specifications

For more information on the berths available at the Port of Freetown please check the following websites:

www.bollore-africa-logistics.com

www.nectargroup.co.uk

www.nsbt.world 

www.slnsc.org

General Cargo Handling Berths

From berths 1-2 is 400 meters length and berths 3 – 6 is 713 meters in length. The total length overall is 1,113 meters. Berths 1 – 3 is usually reserved for break bulk vessels and general cargoes, whiles berths 4 – 6 is considered for container vessels as that is the area where you will find the container stacking yards.

Port Handling Equipment

The Port handling equipment is managed privately by the two companies Freetown Terminal and Nectar.  

The equipment here below represents the equipment of Freetown Terminal only. 

Container Facilities

The 20-year concession includes plans to renovate and modernize the container terminal. Bolloré Africa Logistics, which now employs hundreds of people at the terminal, has started a wide range of developments, including refurbishment of the container wharf, introduction of secured, computerized management, delivery of appropriate modern handling equipment. Bolloré Africa Logistics plans to pursue its investment to ensure that its customers enjoy optimal service, while doubling the volumes handled within the next five years.

Customs Guidance

All containers should be scanned through the scanning machine available at the Customs in the port. The capacity of scanning is between 100 – 120 containers per day. This limits the number of containers that can be delivered from the Port. 

For more information on customs at the Port of Freetown, please see the following links:

Customs Import Procedure

1.3 Sierra Leone Customs Information

Terminal Information

Multipurpose Terminal

Freetown Terminal is considered as multipurpose terminal. 

Grain and Bulk Handling

Construction of the quay began in 1953 on what was once called Fourah Bay and was finally completed 7 years later in 1960 when it was opened by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. Berths 1, 1A and 2 are designated as bulk and breakbulk specific berths and in September 2015 Nectar Sierra Leone Bulk Terminal took over control of the terminal from the Sierra Leone Port Authority (the Port Landlord). The terminal has an assortment of storage sheds for through cargo enabling safe discharge of product 24 hours per day. Direct bagging from ship discharge is possible. Nectar Group Ltd has signed a 10-year license agreement with the Government of Sierra Leone to operate the Freetown Bulk terminal located at QEII Terminal, Freetown. The new venture is named 'Nectar Sierra Leone Bulk Terminal' or NSBT. Operations started at the beginning of October 2015.

Main Storage Terminal

Limited warehousing capacity in the Port which obliges the direct delivery for bulk cargoes. 

Stevedoring

Freetown Terminal Ltd provides the stevedoring for berths 3 to 6 while Nectar Bulk Terminal provides the services to the berths 1 and 2.

Hinterland Information

The Indigenous Transport Owners Association provide the trucks to transport materials at the Port. For deliveries inside the city of Freetown, the trucks can only leave the port after 8 PM. The cost of transportation can be found in the following annex:

Annex III: Sierra Leone Freetown Port Transportation Tariffs for Containers  

Port Security

Each concessionaire is responsible of the security of its concession. Freetown Terminal has subcontracted Protec Security to ensure security in its terminal while Nectar has subcontracted Leon International Security Company. CCTV have been installed in the Freeport. 

The Sierra Civil Leone Civil Aviation Authority (SLCAA), established in 2008, is charged with the following functions among others:

• To licence and regulate Civil Aviation in accordance with the obligations of Sierra Leone under the applicable International agreements so as to meet the international and domestic demands for air transportation and air cargo services including oversight in the provision, operation and maintenance of aerodromes and related facilities for aviation and to advise government on the efficient development of the aviation industry;
• To promote and develop safety in aviation, including oversight in aircraft operation, air navigation facilities and services, air traffic control, meteorological services and facilities to combat hazards to air navigation;
• To licence and register aircraft and ensure safety of air navigation.
• To licence and regulate air transport;
• To coordinate search and rescue operations;
• To certify and regulate the operations of air travel agents, etc. 

The Sierra Leone Airport Authority manages Lungi International airport and all the other national airfields. Currently there is no national carrier and only UNHAS flies domestically in Sierra Leone.  A private chartered company called Versatile Air Services offers domestic flights for passengers and cargo.

Sierra Leone appears on the EU list of prohibited countries with regard to the certification of airlines, which means that no airline that is Sierra Leone registered can fly into the European Union.

For more information, please see the following links:

4.1 Sierra Leone Government Contact List

4.5 Sierra Leone Airport Company Contact List

Procedures for Foreign Registered Aircraft

The following requirements need to be applied, presented and approved before preposition of foreign registered aircraft:

• Applications for permit/clearance for regular international scheduled flights and non-scheduled flights operated by foreign airlines into or in transit must be made to the Director of Civil Aviation and must be submitted at least 120 hours in advance of the intended landing. 
• For private flights, a flight plan is acceptable once transmitted two hours in advance of arrival. 

The application to the DCA must include:

• the name of operator
• type of aircraft
• registration marks
• certificate of airworthiness
• insurance
• information of passengers 
• freight requirements

Road transport is the most dominant mode of transport and represents about 85% of the entire transport system in Sierra Leone. 95% of the inland transport of passengers and goods is carried out on roads. Sierra Leone has a public road network of about 11,700 kilometres of which 8,700 km are functionally classified in the National Road System. The other 3,000 km consists of local roads and unclassified roads and tracks. The Sierra Leone Roads Authority (SLRA) manages the national roads. Ministry of Transport and Aviation (MoTA) provides the policy and regulatory framework for transport management in Sierra Leone. It is the overall body responsible for policy formulation in the area of road safety in the country. The Ministry has the mandate to draft and table amendments of traffic regulations to Parliament. The Ministry of Works, Housing and Infrastructure (MOWHI) oversees the policy guidance and execution of the Road, Housing and Infrastructure sectors in the country. It is in charge of the construction, reconstruction, rehabilitation and overall maintenance of the road sector infrastructure. It took on the management of the feeder roads a few years ago. 
 

Approximately 11,000 km of public road network; Approx. 8,000 Km classified in National Road System (NRS); Approx. 3,000 Km local network and unclassified roads and tracks. 

To access the Road Network Government Contact List, please click on the following link: 4.1 Sierra Leone Government Contact List

Distance Matrix

To access the detailed Road Distance Matrix, please see the following annex: Annex VII: Sierra Leone Road Distance Matrix

To view access constraints in Sierra Leone, please see the following annex: Annex VIII: Sierra Leone National Road Condition

Road Security

The road safety situation in Sierra Leone is serious and has deteriorated over the past years, mainly due to the growing numbers of vehicles and ineffective implementation of the road safety interventions. There are currently no routine regular road safety audits in place on the entire road network and no compliance regimes. Local drivers do not follow general road safety rules.

Weighbridges and Axle Load Limits

There aren’t any weighbridges and axle load limits in Sierra Leone even though it is requested by ECOWAS regulations. This lack of limits control affects the roads and their maintenance as most of the trucks are over loaded. 

The national railway system was closed down in 1975 after a recommendation from the UN special fund. Volumes were low and maintenance costs high. At its height the narrow gauge railway lines stretched from Freetown to Pendembu in the east and from Freetown to Makeni – a total of 458 km. There was also a private mine railway (from Lunsar to Pepel) and a Mountain Railway in Freetown. There are 84 kilometres of railway in Sierra Leone, all of which is private and of a narrow gauge, 1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in). Sierra Leone no longer has any common carrier railroads, as the 762 mm (2 ft 6 in) gauge Sierra Leone Government Railway from Freetown through Bo to Kenema and Daru, with a branch to Makeni, closed in 1974. The country does not share rail links with adjacent countries, Guinea and Liberia. The existing railway between the port of Pepel and the Marampa iron ore mine is being refurbished by African Minerals PLC. This is a common carrier railway, but will be used predominantly for transporting iron ore. African Minerals is also constructing a new standard gauge railway from the Tonkolili iron ore mine to a new port at Tagrin Point.

For more information, please see the following link: 4.1 Sierra Leone Government Contact List

Maritime transport services are managed by the Sierra Leone Port Authority, Sierra Leone Maritime Authority and Sierra Leone Maritime Administration. There is only a limited river transport system (270 km) during the rainy season.  Major ports of Sierra Leone include: Bonthe, Freetown and Pepel. Queen Elizabeth II Quay in Freetown represents the country's only deep water port facility capable of berthing large-hulled cargo or military vessels.

For more information, please see the following link: 4.1 Sierra Leone Government Contact List

Company Information

For more information, please see the following link: 4.4 Sierra Leone Port and Waterways Company Contact List

Storage facilities are limited in Sierra Leone. It is possible to find them in Freetown but it becomes more difficult to locate inside the country. During the Ebola Response, WFP established different warehousing facilities in the country with Port Loko as the main hub. These storage facilities were to be used by all the humanitarian actors in the frame of the Ebola Response. 

For more information, please see the following link: 4.6 Sierra Leone Storage and Milling Company Contact List

Commercial Storage

[1] Warehouse Type: Open storage, container, rub-hall, silo, concrete, other, unspecified
[2] Warehouse Access: Raised-siding, flat
[3] Warehouse condition: Appears intact, appears damaged, under construction/repair

Storage Used by Humanitarian Organizations

The major humanitarian organizations store their items in Freetown. The main preference is to run their own facilities. The largest organization storing items in the country is WFP. During the Ebola Crisis, WFP provided storage facilities to both the humanitarian organizations and the different government entities. The lack of adequate commercial and public storage facilities was surmounted by providing Mobile Storage Unit (Wiikhalls/Rub halls).  

[1] Warehouse Type: Open storage, container, rub-hall, silo, concrete, other, unspecified
[2] Warehouse Access: Raised-siding, flat
[3] Warehouse condition: Appears intact, appears damaged, under construction/repair

 Public Sector Storage

[1] Warehouse Type: Open storage, container, rub-hall, silo, concrete, other, unspecified
[2] Warehouse Access: Raised-siding, flat
[3] Warehouse condition: Appears intact, appears damaged, under construction/repair

Cold Chain

The main option for cold chain lies with the Expanded Programme for Immunization (EPI). EPI has sufficient cold chain storage capacity on a national level to store the vaccines and different medicines, but lacks normal adequate facilities to store medicine and other materials. For the moment they use containers as storage facilities. The main challenge in cold chain resides in the districts and peripheries due mostly to the lack of stable electricity supply. Ideally, EPI would plan to build 2 walk-in cold rooms in Bo to cover the southern region and in Makeni to cover the eastern region, but without any continuity plan and the shortage in electricity supplies, makes it impossible to launch such a needed project. More than 50% of the solar refrigerators disseminated in the country are not functioning.  

Sierra Leone Milling Assessment

Seaboard West Africa Limited (SWAL) is the only wheat flour milling operation in Sierra Leone. Was established in 1966 with initial shareholding of: 60% by Seaboard Inc. of Kansas USA, (later transferred to Seaboard Trading and Shipping Limited - STS), and 40% by GoSL (Government of Sierra Leone)

Milling Company - Sea Board West Africa Limited

This mill is located adjacent to the Port. The proximity to the Port provides the opportunity discharge their grains by means of conveyors thus reducing transport cost.

It produces flour for the entire country and also exports.