Luanda gets million-dollar cash injection

Angolan container terminal
management company Sogester
has injected US$155 million into
the port of Luanda to upgrade and
modernise the port’s facilities,
improving safety and efficiency.
Sogester (Sociedade Gestora de
Terminais) is a consortium formed
in 2007 to manage the terminal
under a 20-year concession.
The company’s assistant sales
director Patrick Anderson said
the capital had been spent on new
equipment, including 20 trucks,
four cranes, a new computer
operating system and training
courses for staff.
He said: “We started operating
in 2007 and are trying to set up
conditions to make the port of
Luanda more efficient.” He added
that one of the problems facing
Sogester was the small size of
the port.
Since 2007, the efficiency
of the port has improved
dramatically. Previously vessels
were waiting up to 500 hours
to berth. Now, Anderson said,
they are delayed no more than
10 hours.