Shipping 2025

ANGOLA Trends and Developments Contributed by: José Miguel Oliveira, Sara Alves Lourenço, Caio de Mello Ferreira and João Saiago Canjeque, VdA

Legal Developments in Shipping in Angola in 2024 Angola’s maritime sector is of strategic impor - tance due to Angola’s extensive Atlantic coast - line, which stretches for more than 1,600 km. Since the country’s independence in 1975, Angola’s economy has evolved, with the mari - time sector playing a vital role in trade, transpor - tation and the exploitation of natural resources, especially oil and gas. The country’s geographi - cal location facilitates links between Africa and the rest of the world, making Angola a reference point in international trade. Angola is one of the largest oil producers in Africa, and its maritime industry has been fun - damental for the transportation of crude oil and derived products. In addition, the Port of Luanda and other strategic ports, such as Lobito and Cabinda, play a central role in the country’s inter - national trade, facilitating imports and exports of various products. Angola’s ports are strategically located along the southern Atlantic coast of Africa, with direct access to shipping routes connecting the Ameri - The Port of Luanda, Angola’s capital city, is the largest and busiest port in Angola, handling more than 80% of the country’s imports and exports. The port is currently being expanded, with a new container terminal under construction, which is expected to increase the port’s handling capac - ity and boost its competitiveness in the region. The Port of Luanda is Angola’s largest logistics platform and the main gateway for goods to and from the country. It has a general cargo terminal, a multipurpose terminal, a container terminal, a support base for oil-related activities, a multi-use terminal, a fuel terminal, and a passenger termi - cas, Europe and Asia. The Port of Luanda

nal that connects Luanda, Soyo and Cabinda. The port’s management model is LandLord Port, where private entities regulate and oversee the operation of the terminals, which is in turn moni - tored by the Empresa Portuária de Luanda (a public company). Back in 2021, DP World signed a 20-year concession agreement with the gov - ernment of Angola to operate the multipurpose terminal at the Port of Luanda. Under the con - cession terms, DP World committed to invest USD190 million over the concession period and use said monies to rehabilitate the existing infra - structure, acquire new equipment and increase the terminal’s throughput to 700,000 TEUs/year. A TEU is a “twenty-foot equivalent unit”, which is a unit of cargo capacity for container ships and ports. In October 2023, the company Empresa Por - tuária de Luanda hosted a conference on “Cor - ruption and Related Offences in Port Activities” as part of the United Nations Global Compact’s Ten Principles with a focus on combating corrup - tion. Over 200 experts from the port and ship - ping sectors and legal professionals specialising in corruption and compliance attended the con - ference in Luanda. The conference addressed topics such as “The Management of Corrup - tion and Related Offence Risks at the Port of Luanda”, “The Role of Compliance in Fraud Pre - vention”, “The Intervention of the Public Pros - ecutor and the Repression of Corruption and Related Offences”, “Transparency as a Crucial Factor in Corruption Prevention” and “The Role of Internal Auditing in the Prevention of Corrup - tion and Related Offences”. The purpose of the conference was to promote worker involvement in preventing, detecting and repressing corrup - tion, to raise awareness of the severe negative consequences of corruption, and to promote the adoption of best practices to prevent corruption in the port industry.

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