Located in the middle of the west coast of the Red Sea, Sudan’s largest port is ideally placed to become a transport hub.

STRATEGICALLY placed in the center of the Red Sea’s west coast, Port Sudan is the main cargo terminal. Up to 80 percent of Sudan’s cargo traffic passes through its increasingly busy harbor, including the oil that is bringing the country its new wealth.

Facilities at the port are already stretched, and are being improved and enlarged, particularly for oil export. The future holds the prospect of even greater expansion. In the longer term, it could become a transportation hub for Sudan’s landlocked neighbors.

Responsibility for the development and maintenance of Sudan’s ports rests with the Sea Ports Corporation (SPC). The corporation operates two other Red Sea ports in addition to Port Sudan, and a river port.

The Red Sea Port of Digna at Suakin, 35 miles south of Port Sudan, serves coastal and passenger ships, and is used for the export of livestock, liquefied petroleum gas, and bitumen.

Another Red Sea harbor, Osief Port, 160 miles to the north, handles the export of iron ore and other natural resources, such as manganese and gypsum. The Al Shaheed Elbier River Port is operated in collaboration with the River Transport Corporation, and serves waterway transport between Sudan and Egypt.

HAMZA OSMAN General Manager of the Sea Ports Corporation

SPC is currently following a strategic development plan that runs to 2020. Hamza Osman, the corporation’s General Manager, says, “We are raising the capacity of the port, and have purchased a lot of equipment to prepare ourselves for the coming period. We expect that the peace in Sudan will help remove the economic embargo, and the excavations in the oil fields will create a lot of business.

“We are now exporting all excess refined oil which comes to us from the Al Jaily refinery in Khartoum. In the future we do not know if the exploration of new fields will require new terminals. We do not know what the magnitude of exported oil will be. We will certainly construct newer terminals as demand for exporting oil is increased.”

Development of Port Sudan’s infrastructure began two years ago when construction started on four new berths, at a cost of almost $100 million. Two are completed and already in operation. The other two, both of which will be capable of handling large vessels, are expected to be completed by the end of 2007.

“We have also been building some small berths at Suakin, because we expect that Port Sudan alone will not be able to handle all that will be entering and leaving Sudan,” says Mr. Osman

Operation of the port is also being upgraded, and SPC is seeking help from outside. “We need assistance from consultants to train our personnel and introduce modern methods of logistics. We have been working with a German company, because all of the operations in the docks were not computerized until a year ago. This will also ease the handling and processing of containers.”

Commenting on long-term prospects, Mr. Osman says, “If Port Sudan had good highway connections to these countries, it could definitely become the transportation hub for East Africa.

“We are thinking of it for the future and discussing with consultants how to promote this area of transshipment. We think we are on the right track.”

SPC has also been working in collaboration with the River Transport Corporation to increase the number of river ports. “We have already finished one in the north in Wadi Halfa, and in the south in Malakal, and now we have the dry port project going on in Kosti, where we are expecting to direct a lot of cargo going to the south. Products will be directly transported to Kosti from Port Sudan and from Kosti to the south along the Nile.

“Within the coming year we hope to receive all the purchased equipment we need to handle all exports and imports efficiently.”