At a moment when several West African seaports are buckling under crippling congestion, Benin’s maritime gateway is making a decisive move forward. With container wait times held between 36 and 72 hours, the Port of Cotonou is turning a regional crisis into a competitive breakthrough.
A turning point for the Port of Cotonou
Across much of West Africa, maritime logistics has become a punishing ordeal. Yet the Port of Cotonou (PAC) is choosing a different path. At the “PAC Média Connect” gathering in early October 2026, Charles Bennett Fayomi, Director of Port Operations and Security, delivered a comparative review of commercial activity that framed the port’s performance as a defining shift.
The regional contrast that sets Cotonou apart
While vessels at several neighbouring ports are forced to wait at sea for six weeks to two months, Cotonou keeps its containers moving, with anchorage delays before docking limited to between 36 and 72 hours.
The gap is even sharper when saturation levels are compared. Some coastal facilities in the sub-region are running at 200% to 250% of capacity, while Benin’s port hovers around 100%.
“There are ports right now where ships stay stuck at sea for a month without operators being able to touch their cargo. Here, we manage to hold our course,” Charles Bennett Fayomi stressed.
A relief valve for West African trade
What makes the achievement more striking is that it comes while the port itself is in the middle of an expansion programme. By absorbing part of the freight surplus redirected from saturated sub-regional ports, Cotonou is positioning itself as a strategic logistical alternative for West African commerce.
Costs kept in check for operators
Although rising volumes place constant pressure on cargo-handling chains, port authorities remain reassuring about the financial impact on economic operators. The PAC says it keeps ancillary fees and late-related penalties among the lowest on the regional market, protecting the competitiveness of Benin’s corridor.
