Infrastructure upgrade for Angola’s strategically vital Port of Luanda

On completion – currently scheduled for the first quarter of 2027 – the Noatum Ports Luanda Terminal will be transformed into a modern general cargo, container, and roll-on/roll-off (RoRo) vehicle facility. 

The Port of Luanda handles approximately 76% of Angola’s container and general cargo, in addition to serving as a maritime supply chain gateway for neighbours such as the near-landlocked Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and landlocked Zambia. 

Better import-export facilities and supply chain infrastructure are strategically vital as Angola is about to join the 13-member Southern African Development Community (SADC) Free Trade Area and is in the process of diversifying its oil-based economy to place more emphasis on trade, manufacturing, agriculture and fisheries.  

Capacity to accommodate very large container ships 

The revamped Noatum Ports Luanda Terminal will have a depth of 16 metres and be the only terminal in the Port of Luanda capable of accommodating Super Post-Panamax vessels. These are very large container ships that also require specialised infrastructure such as bigger cranes.  

The terminal’s 192,000-square-metre area will be optimised for high-density container handling and equipped with advanced technology and IT systems. 

Upon completion, the upgraded terminal will have increased its container-handling capacity from 25,000 TEUs to 350,000 TEUs and its RoRo volumes to over 40,000 vehicles.  

A TEU is a standard unit of measurement in the shipping and logistics industry used to quantify cargo capacity for container ships and terminals. RoRo is the method of loading and unloading vehicles and other wheeled cargo using ramps, rather than lifting them with cranes. 

The terminal is operated by Abu Dhabi’s AD Ports Group, which has a 20-year concession agreement with the Luanda Port Authority. The agreement was signed in 2024. 

Speaking at the time of the signing, Angola’s Minister of Transport, Ricardo Daniel Sandão Queirós Viegas de Abreu, said the collaboration “marks a significant milestone in our mission to modernise infrastructure and expand global trade access, promising a prosperous future for Angola and its partners”.