On Tuesday, December 9, 2025, the Pointe-Noire Port Authority and GNCAC (Gestion Nouvelle des Chantiers et Ateliers du Congo) signed a major partnership agreement, marking a new and significant milestone in the development of dry-docking and ship repair activities. This signing represents the culmination of a memorandum of understanding concluded several years ago between the two entities, under which the Pointe-Noire Port Authority committed to building a 120-meter-long multi-purpose quay, equipped with a basin fully dedicated to dry-docking and ship repair.
This multi-purpose quay, inaugurated in 2024, is a major and strategic piece of infrastructure. It features a basin approximately 50 meters long and 16 meters wide, built by the Pointe-Noire Port Authority with financial support from the French Development Agency (AFD). The basin is specifically designed to accommodate a boat lift (a kind of platform used to lift vessels out of the water), enabling ship repair and dry-docking—that is, maintenance of fishing vessels and offshore oil logistics boats. Now fully operational, it has been made available to GNCAC, which specializes in dry-docking and ship repair, allowing the company to establish its operations there by providing all the necessary technical equipment to ensure optimal use of this unique infrastructure in Congo.
The key asset of this long-awaited facility is the boat lift, with a lifting capacity of 1,200 tons, which GNCAC will soon commission at the Port of Pointe-Noire. This equipment addresses a long-standing shortfall that, for many years, forced the Pointe-Noire Port Authority to rely on shipyards located outside Congo—particularly in Namibia or Côte d’Ivoire—for the dry-docking and maintenance of its tugboats, said Séraphin Bhalat, Director General of the Port. With this basin equipped with a modern lift, he added, ship repair can now be carried out locally, significantly reducing costs, turnaround times, and operational constraints.
“This is an unprecedented piece of equipment in sub-Saharan Africa, which will make it possible to lift vessels dry for all heavy maintenance operations,” said Francesco Parago, Director General of GNCAC. Praising the leadership of the Pointe-Noire Port Authority, he described the signing as “a pivotal moment for Congo and for GNCAC” and reaffirmed his company’s commitment to ensuring efficient and sustainable management of the new dry-docking and ship repair basin.
With this modern and strategic infrastructure, the Pointe-Noire Port Authority strengthens its position as a regional maritime hub and reaches a decisive milestone in the development of high value-added port services.
