Arabian Post Staff -Dubai
The completed works include a five-kilometre access channel dredged to a depth of 20 metres, a 600-metre turning basin and an 875-metre berth pocket. The marine infrastructure will allow two Triple E-class container ships, among the world’s largest commercial vessels, to be accommodated simultaneously.
The early completion represents a significant engineering milestone for Ndayane, which is being developed about 50 kilometres south of Dakar to ease capacity pressures at the capital’s existing port and strengthen Senegal’s position as a trade and logistics hub for West Africa.
More than 95% of the material removed during dredging was rock. Contractors completed the work without using explosives, relying instead on advanced cutter suction dredging techniques. The approach reduced risks associated with underwater blasting and allowed excavated material to be reused for land reclamation.
The dredging programme was led by Belgian marine engineering company Jan De Nul, which deployed the Willem Van Rubroeck, one of the world’s largest cutter suction dredgers. Work included excavating the navigation channel and creating an 89-hectare platform for container storage, logistics facilities and maritime services.
Completion ahead of the original timetable will allow construction teams to advance work on the terminal’s quay wall, breakwaters, yards and supporting infrastructure sooner than planned. The schedule gain could also help reduce exposure to construction inflation and supply-chain disruptions, although the port’s overall commissioning timeline will depend on progress across several interconnected packages.
The project has maintained environmental and social monitoring throughout the dredging phase, covering marine conditions, coastal impacts and engagement with surrounding communities. About 1,043 people are currently employed at the construction site, with the development expected to generate additional jobs as civil works and terminal installation gather pace.
Ndayane is DP World’s largest port investment in Africa and one of the biggest private infrastructure projects undertaken in Senegal. The first phase includes a container terminal with about 840 metres of quay and initial annual handling capacity of 1.2 million twenty-foot equivalent units.
A planned second phase will add a further 410 metres of container quay and deepen or expand marine access to accommodate vessels measuring up to 400 metres. The wider master plan envisages as much as three kilometres of quayside when all stages are completed.
The port is designed to complement rather than immediately replace Dakar’s container terminal, which has recorded sharp growth since DP World began operations there in 2008. Annual container throughput increased from about 265,000 units that year to 850,000 units in 2025, while vessel waiting times fell from roughly 35 hours to almost zero.
DP World has invested about $340 million in the Dakar terminal, expanding capacity and modernising cargo-handling systems. The facility handled its 10 millionth container in March, underlining the growth in Senegal’s maritime trade and the pressure on infrastructure surrounded by a densely developed urban area.
Ndayane provides room for longer-term expansion that is no longer available around Dakar. Its deeper channel will also allow shipping lines to deploy larger vessels without the draught and berth restrictions that affect many established ports in the region.
The development forms part of Senegal’s strategy to improve access to international markets, reduce logistics costs and attract industrial investment. Plans for the surrounding area include warehousing, inland transport connections, processing facilities and a proposed economic zone that could support manufacturing and distribution.
Financing for the first phase has included backing from international development institutions working with DP World. Economic assessments linked to the project indicate that stronger port capacity could improve the availability of food, energy and essential goods while supporting trade-related employment across Senegal and neighbouring landlocked markets.
Ndayane is also expected to compete with expanding port infrastructure elsewhere on the West African coast, where governments and operators are investing in deeper terminals capable of serving larger vessels. Projects at Tema, Lomé, Abidjan and Lekki have intensified competition for transhipment cargo and regional distribution business.
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