Last week, Douala International Terminal (DIT), the port of Douala container terminal concessionaire received four new gantry cranes totalling 3.5 billion FCFA, delivered by the Finnish company, Konecranes.

Two mobile cranes were also received on October 10, 2014. They were built by the Gottwald firm for 1.3 billion FCFA.

This information was released on November 15, 2014 in Douala, Cameroon’s economic capital during a visit by Transportation Minister, Robert Nkili, to check on the level of decongestion at the country’s largest port on the eve of the end-of-year festivities.

The new equipment acquired by DIT, for a total of 4.8 billion FCFA, should help to speed-up circulation at the container terminal for the Christmas holidays when imports generally increase in volume.

On this issue, Minister Nkili once again castigated the behaviour of economic operators who have been turning the port into a storage depot, leaving over 2000 containers worth of shipments still unclaimed at the port.

In order to ensure reliable supply during the holiday season, the Minister of Transportation has ordered the auction sale and removal of all containers at the port beyond 90 days and has requested that container vessels be given priority at the port.