The shipping platform

Location: Matadi is situated on the S bank of the Congo River adjacent to the Angolan border, approx 140km upstream from the mouth of the river. General overview: It is the Democratic Republic of Congo's principal port and main transit port for the whole country. There is a tanker terminal with bunker facilities at Ango-Ango (See separate entry), 6km downstream from Matadi. Exports include coffee, cocoa, timber, palm products, cotton, rubber, copra, copper and zinc. Imports include wheat, salt, rice, steel, fertiliser, frozen food and petroleum. Traffic figures: Approx 350 vessels visit the port annually. Load line zone: Tropical. Transit with IMO class 1 on board is allowed. Shore cranes’ swl is about 3 tons. Matadi Gateway Terminal has 2 berthes, each berth is 175m in length and annual terminal capacity is 175,000TEU and 350,000 tonnes of general cargo.