A pre-feasibility study will be accomplished by HPC Hamburg Port Consulting (HPC) for the development of an operable business concept for Port N’diago in Mauritania.
HPC, which was selected to take over the study by the private investor Mimarine International, will identify investment requirements for port operation, the connection by rail to the hinterland and for a dry port terminal.
The results of the study are expected to be available in January 2023.
Port N’diago is a newly built port in the south of Mauritania, completed in 2021 but it has not launched operations yet. The port currently has a 180 m quay wall for commercial purposes with a limited back yard, which needs to be developed. Other parts of the port that were built for fishing and other purposes can also be reconstructed for cargo handling.
HPC’s role is to carry out a pre-feasibility study involving the development of port operations, the railway connection of 70 km to the planned railway route between the Mauritanian capital Nouakchott and the border of Mali, as well as the conceptual designing of a dry port terminal at the intended railway junction.
“Connecting south-western Mauritania to international maritime transport will stimulate the local mining industry,” said Jamal Mohamed Salem, CEO of Mimarine International. “The expansion of Port N’diago will also provide impetus for growth in the region.”
The overall objective of the study is the investigation of potential developments to stimulate port operations and the realisation of necessary additional infrastructure investments to achieve this.
It will involve the analysis and evaluation of potential commodities and cargo flows as well as the development of a functional and efficient operations concept that will meet market demand in terms of volume and performance within reasonable resource requirements.
The study will also identify such market demand and assess the general need for an intermodal facility, as well as the required equipment and infrastructure.
Dr. Martin Schramm, managing the project at HPC, commented, “This ambitious project aims to put currently untapped maritime facilities to good use in order to further develop the industry in the region.”
