Douala international terminal (DIT) splits in a press release dated November 13, 2020 and “welcomes the decision rendered in its favor by the ICC arbitral tribunal”. The subsidiary of the APM and Bolloré group indicates that it was forced “to have recourse to the ICC arbitral tribunal in application of the 2004 concession agreement” on two points. Namely the sharing of parking costs between the Autonomous Port of Douala (PAD) and DIT.
Second point, DIT’s inability to participate in the call for tenders launched in January 2018. “On November 13, 2020, the court recognized the merits of the two DIT requests. The arbitral tribunal consequently ordered the PAD to pay damages to DIT and to relaunch an open invitation to tender including DIT “, we learned from the press release released by DIT.
A company that “welcomes these decisions in accordance with the rule of law. “DIT recalls that the Cameroonian courts have already ruled on several occasions in favor of the reference shareholders” who are with it.
Bolloré hopes, or always dreams of returning to the PAD container terminal one day. Which is not obvious. Because since the board of directors of July 27, 2020, the Régie du terminal à containers (RTC) has benefited from an extension of its mandate, for three years, which are renewable. “Despite the difficult context that characterized the resumption of operation of the container terminal on January 1, 2020, the RTC has accomplished its mission well by providing users of said terminal with quality service while respecting performance and results objectives which are fixed to him, had indicated the chairman of the board of directors Shey Jones Yembe.
During the mid-term review last July, the RTC claimed performance, welcomed by the general management of the PAD. “In statistical terms, you will have noticed that in six months we have operated on our docks 160 ships. Last year, by way of comparison, the operator who was there operated168. We were able to unload and embark on these ships 173 thousand TU, which is the equivalent of twenty feet in terms of volume. By way of comparison, I would like to tell you that it was done in a context that you know very well that I would not like to talk about it anymore.
Last year in a different context, in a favorable context, the operator had made 183 thousand TU. You will find that we have accomplished our mission very well. We can also, in terms of results, tell you that we have delivered to Cameroonian shippers over the past six months 58,808 containers. Last year, the operator delivered around 57,000. I do not think this is complimentary, but we have fulfilled our mission “, underlined Faustin Ndingana, the deputy director of the RTC. A company which, in six months, had 23 billion FCFA in turnover.
In the meantime, the power of Yaoundé has repeatedly greeted the nationalization introduced at the PAD under the management of Cyrus Ngo’o, the general manager. Prime Minister Head of Government Joseph Dion Ngute was in the port square of Douala on October 13. DIT’s hopes for launching a new tender including it therefore appear, in the eyes of many observers, a very difficult possibility.
