Doraleh Multipurpose Port (DMP)

The Doraleh Multipurpose Port (DMP) is a large maritime facility that serves as an extension of the Port of Djibouti.¹ Located in the Doraleh littoral, 12 kilometers west of Djibouti City, and situated at the southern entrance to the Red Sea,² the port has become the largest dry bulk port in East Africa³ as it lies at the intersection of major international shipping lanes connecting Asia, Africa and Europe.⁴

DMP is envisioned to “act as a hub for trade and logistics fostering regional economic growth”⁵ and become the region’s leading marine gateway⁶ by linking continents and functioning as the sea channel for the Addis Ababa–Djibouti Railway.^{i 7} As such, the DMP aims to reduce congestion at Doraleh’s,^{8 9} decreasing the time required to discharge goods from weeks to days for neighboring countries,¹⁰ as it is capable of handling over 20,000 million tons of goods daily.¹¹

To implement the aforementioned objectives, a master plan for a 6.9 square kilometer area along of a 4 kilo meters-long quay was proposed. This plan includes a total of 15 berths,¹² offering a wide range of facilities and services, some of which are among the most modern in Africa.¹³
The port features various terminal types, including bulk cargo, break-bulk, container, and Roll-on/Roll-off (RoRo) terminalsⁱⁱ. Here, the port’s operational capabilities include handling 31 containers per hour using Lift-on/Lift-off (LoLoⁱⁱⁱ) operations and processing 90 RoRo units per hour. Additionally, the port design incorporates 35,000 square meters of warehouse facilities to support cargo storage and logistics operations.¹⁴

The project was jointly initiated by Port de Djibouti S.A. (PDSA), a company 66.5% owned by Djibouti Ports and Free Zones Authority (DPFZA) and 23.5% owned by China Merchants Port Holdings Company Limited (a subsidiary of China Merchants Group).^{15 16}

Implementation was carried out by principal contractors including China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (a subsidiary of China Railway Construction Corporation) and China Construction Harbour and Channel Engineering Bureau Group Company Limited (a subsidiary of China State Construction Engineering Corporation).¹⁷
The total investment is approximately $590 million (Phase 1 & 2)¹⁸ , mainly financed by the Eximbank of China ($405 million). This fund is considered the largest Chinese-funded infrastructure initiative in East Africa.¹⁹
It is worth noting that China Merchants Group (CMG), through this project, seeks to promote the development model known as ‘port–park–city’ in Djibouti. Here, CMG’s involvement extends beyond the DMP port itself, as it is also developing the 240-hectare Djibouti International Free Trade Zone (DIFTZ), adjacent to the DMP, which was inaugurated in 2018.²⁰

The Master Plan of Doraleh Multipurpose Port (DMP) is implemented in two main phases:
Phase 1, which began construction in 2014 and was inaugurated in 2017, involved a $300 million investment and includes the following:^{21 22}

• Main quay: 1,200 meters long and -15.3 meters depth, with 6 berths to accommodate vessels up to 100,000 DWT, built using 63 concrete precast caissons.
• East quay: 175 meters long and -12 meters depth, built using 12 concrete precast caissons.
• Multipurpose stockyard for coal, general cargo, cement, fertilizer, grain, vehicles, sugar, and fertilizer warehouse.
• Buildings.
• Excavation and dredging work.
• Land reclamation works.²³

Phase 2 of development is scheduled to double the number of berths,²⁴ reaching the planned total of 12 berths and 4,130 meters of quay length.²⁵

Clients of DMP benefit from increased operational efficiency, optimized yard strategies, expanded storage capacity, and other advantages.²⁶ It’s worth noting that the Chinese Navy, which has a military base on the western border of the harbor, is permitted to utilize one of the berths.^{27 28} Additionally, CMG has proposed an ambitious urban renovation project for Djibouti’s old port and city. However, as of 2022, this remains speculative, with neither funding nor planning agreed upon.²⁹