The state secretary for transport and communications in Guinea-Bissau, João Bernardo Vieira, says the West African country will have a dry port on the outskirts of the capital city Bissau by the end of 2017.

Container capacity at the port is promised to be in excess of 100 000 TEUs per annum and will occupy 25 000 square metres. It will include warehousing facilities to conserve perishable products.

Meanwhile, Fernando Dias da Costa, director-general of the project owning National Shippers Council (CNC), states that ground clearing work is currently underway. The dry port or inland customs station is set to have an overland link to the maritime port that does not pass through the city centre, thereby preventing traffic congestion.

Da Costa says that the new infrastructure will ease the situation at Bissau’s Pinjiguiti port, which has limited space for containers. The dry port will also serve as a parking area for container trucks waiting their turn to load cargo at Pinjiguiti.

Besides its trans-shipment role, Bissau’s future dry port may also include merchandise handling facilities and road transport maintenance equipment as well as customs clearance services.