Congo – Modernization of river transport

The Congo River is one of the essential elements of the country's river transport network and, together with the Ubangi, forms the transequatorial axis of the international river network. These rivers are navigable up to the border with the Central African Republic. The Congo River is the second largest in the world after the Amazon in terms of flow. The navigable river network is 7,276 km, including 5,200 km for the international network and 2,076 km for the internal network. 

The inland waterway network includes the following waterways: the Léfini, the Likouala Mossaka, the Likouala aux Herbes, the Alima, the Kouyou, the Ibenga, and the Motaba. Despite this extensive waterway network, river transport remains a weak link in the multimodal transport chain.

The PABS, the structure responsible for managing traffic and the use of the country's river and secondary ports (Ouesso, Ngombé, Mossaka, Impfondo, Oyo, Makoua, Boundji, Etoumbi and Owando), is experiencing a difficult financial situation caused in particular by the decline in traffic on the Congo River due to the continued silting of the ports and by competition from unregulated ports upstream of the port of Brazzaville. Due to its shallow draft, particularly at the Port of Brazzaville and especially during the dry season, the Congo River is only navigable six to seven months a year. The Economic Interest Group responsible for the joint maintenance service for the waterways of Congo-Brazzaville and the Central African Republic (GIE-SCEVN), created in 2007, is struggling to fully fulfill its mission.