Gulfcam targets half of Kribi-Douala trucked containers with six-vessel plan

Gulfcam plans to acquire six vessels to shift container freight between Cameroon's two main ports from road to sea, and it has put a former Camship executive in charge of delivering that ambition. Bernard André Ndengue took over as chief executive of the Douala-based group on November 1, replacing Albert Roger Boum, who stepped down last month to head Puma Energy's operations in the Republic of Congo.

Ndengue is a veteran of Cameroon's maritime sector who previously held senior positions at Cameroon Shipping Lines, better known as Camship. His mandate covers developing Gulfcam's container shipping arm and pushing ahead with its coastal shipping ambitions between Kribi and Douala.

What is the scale of the plan?

The group outlined its plans in March to acquire six vessels to increase capacity between Cameroon's two principal ports. The stated goal is to capture around half of the container freight currently transported by road along the Kribi-Douala corridor.

That is a meaningful target for a corridor that carries transshipment boxes as well as domestic cargo. The planned expansion would cover both domestic coastal trade and transshipment traffic, allowing containers discharged from larger vessels at the deepwater port of Kribi to reach Douala by sea rather than by truck.

Gulfcam has not disclosed an investment figure, vessel specifications or an acquisition timetable. The absence of those details leaves the commercial timeline open, and shippers on the corridor will want clarity on tonnage and deployment dates before shifting volumes away from road hauliers.

How is the service operating today?

Gulfcam announced the relaunch of its Camship service earlier this year, bringing in the chartered containership Atlantic Runner II to support operations between the two ports. The company's initial operating plan envisaged a 10-day round voyage, with at least three monthly calls and a target of 2,000 teu per round trip, counting both laden and empty containers.

Actual sailing frequencies and cargo volumes have yet to be confirmed, so the plan remains a framework rather than a published schedule. For forwarders moving boxes inland from Kribi, the difference between a three-calls-per-month service and an effective weekly link determines whether coastal shipping can compete with trucking on transit time as well as price.

Where does Camship come from?

The service has its roots in a weekly link launched by Camship-CLGG in November 2020, which operated until 2022. Gulfcam itself was established in 2021 through the merger of Camship-CLGG and Gulfin, a petroleum transport and distribution business.

Camship traces its history further back still, to the former state-owned Cameroon Shipping Lines, which was privatised in 1997 before combining with local logistics group CLGG in 2008. The lineage gives Ndengue a familiar institutional base, but also a reminder that earlier coastal attempts, including the 2020-2022 service, did not survive.

Why does the timing matter?

The renewed coastal shipping push comes amid further investment in container logistics at Kribi. In September, Maersk opened a 1,500 teu container depot at the deepwater port, adding 16,000 sq m of storage and handling capacity to support cargo moving through Cameroon and neighbouring markets.

That depot strengthens Kribi's position as the country's transshipment gateway for mainline vessels, and it increases the volume of boxes that ultimately need to move on to Douala, the country's commercial hub. A working sea link would relieve pressure on the road corridor and give carriers discharging at Kribi a structured inland distribution option.

For road hauliers, the plan signals competitive pressure on a freight base that Gulfcam values highly enough to chase half of it. For shippers, a second mode on the corridor could ease cost and capacity constraints, provided the relaunched service can hold its schedule.

Much now depends on execution. With vessel numbers declared but no investment figure, no specifications and no timetable published, the market will watch Ndengue's first months for evidence that the six-ship plan moves from outline to acquisition.