The Port of Luanda

The Port of Luanda is the main seaport of Angola and its most important logistics infrastructure.

The Port of Luanda

The Port of Luanda is the main seaport of Angola and its most important logistics infrastructure.

The Port of Luanda is a large-scale public corporation, endowed with administrative, financial, and patrimonial autonomy.

Privileged location

Located on the West African Coast, the Port of Luanda is the main maritime port of Angola and its most important logistical structure, where 80% of the import and export of the country is done. The Port is inserted in the center of the most populous and economically dynamic region in Angola, with easy unloading of its cargo to the countryside by the railroads and highways.

Maritime access

The Port has exceptional features that facilitate access to the sea. By being located in a naturally formed bay, it is protected from the seaside by the Island of Cabo with natural protection against currents and waves. This provides the Port with excellent conditions for maneuvering and porting of incoming vessels. Local winds and currents are weak, with peaceful and generally low tides.

Infrastructure

The Port of Luanda is 2,728 meters long and is divided into seven terminals and a logistic platform intended to aid oil & gas extraction. The Port operates 24 hours a day and the maximum draft is 13.2 m at high tide, with the depth along the quay varying between 10.5 m and 12.5 m, with the exception of the Cabotage Terminal, whose draft is from 3.5 m to 5.5 m.

Management

The Luanda Port Company, or EPL (Empresa Portuária de Luanda), is responsible for the Port of Luanda, which encompasses about 1.5 million square meters. It is a public company, overseen by the Ministry of Transportation, which acts as the Port’s authority.

Port model

The EPL operates on a landlord port-concession model. It owns the port area and manages it through concessionaires, who are responsible for investments and the commercial development of the terminals, as established in the concession contracts.

Supervision

It is also EPLs responsibility to monitor and oversee the activities of the leases to improve the quality of public services, such as operations, investments, compliance with safety rules, etc.

The location of the Bay of Luanda, nested between the escarpment where part of the city stands, the island of Nossa Senhora do Cabo and Ponta do Dande, give the Port of Luanda its own unique characteristics and exceptional conditions that facilitate maritime access.

Board of Directors

The Luanda Port Company is headed by a management board with seats named by the President of the Republic. The current Board of Directors was appointed by President João Lourenço, through Presidential Decree 48/23, of March 16, and sworn in by the Minister of Transportation, Ricardo D’Abreu, on March 20, 2023.

Organization chart

According to the organic statute, approved by Decree No. 26/98 of August 14, the company has the following corporate bodies:

organograma
organograma

Mission

Plan, Manage, Regulate, Oversee, and Promote the Port of Luanda.

Vision

Making the Port of Luanda even more efficient, competitive, and safe.

Values

Ethics, Commitment, Meritocracy, Safety and Environment, Social Responsibility, and Sustainability.

Associated Institutions

The Port of Luanda is a member of the following organizations:

APANG

The Association of the Ports of Angola (APANG) brings together the dock companies and dockworkers in Angola. It was instituted in 2014, with the objective of securing the defense and promotion of the interests of its member and contributing to the development and modernization of the Angolan ports and docks.

APLOP

The Association of Portuguese Language Docks (APLOP) has as its mission to secure the defense and promotion of the interest of its members and to contribute to the development and modernization of its ports and docks. Assembled on the 13th of May of 2011, it has its headquarters in Lisbon, Portugal. It promotes cooperation and trade through the historical ties of its members.

AGPAOC

The Association of Management of the Ports in Central and Occidental Africa (AGPAOC) is made from 24 port groups, from Mauritania to Angola, covering a total of 12,000 kilometers of coast in the Atlantic Ocean. It was conceived in Freetown, Sierra Leone in 1972. It is headquartered in Lagos, Nigeria and has as its objective to promote experience exchange and development of the ports in the region. Angola has been a member since 1986.

OMAOC

The Maritime Organization of Central and Occidental Africa (OMAOC), headquartered in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, has as its objective creating a platform for cooperation for its regional members.