Port operations
Notice of the Harbour master’s office
Notices to Mariners
Urgent notices to mariners are issued to masters of vessels when a situation aiming to jeopardize nautical safety has been notified to the port authority.
Instructions to Port Users
Instructions to Stevedores and Shipping Agents
As shipping agents and stevedoring companies are qualified to deal with the close guard of vessels and goods, they are then responsible for entrusting this task to security firms certified by the port authority or to units of the police or of the state police.
Users must respect scrupulously the specific security arrangements prescribed by the port authority during commercial operations of food products or in management of dangerous goods. These notably include:
- Isolating and guarding unloading sites or taking up these products and respecting the regulation, the transport and the storage of hazardous material (IMDG Code and local regulation);
- Replacement crew operations or landing stowaways must respect the regulation in matters of immigration police and the procedure established for this purpose.
Instructions to Masters of Vessels
Arrival at Pilotage Area
- Any vessel shall bear its distinctive marks and shall hoist the flag of its nation. Any foreign vessel shall hoist the Ivorian flag at the foremast;
- Any damaged vessel and /or unable to use its power and all its cargo gear and cable gear, which asks for entering the lagoon, must station offshore the Vridi Canal until it obtains from the Harbour master of the Abidjan Port the permit for entry to the port.
For this purpose, the master of the vessel must send all information that is likely to enlighten the harbour master about the state of his vessel.
- It is strictly forbidden to drop the anchor in the gateway of the Vridi Canal, and in the forbidden areas inside the canal less than seventy-five meters from the banks.
Vessels’ Stay
Any berthed vessel or any vessel in the roads must leave its berth at a 3 hours’ notice if the harbour master has given it the order except in case of matters beyond its control noticed by the latter.
- Any vessel berthed in the port of Abidjan must permanently have a minimum security crew, and at least a watchman on board;
- Avoid maintaining the ladders lowered;
- Barter transactions are forbidden inside the port;
- Require a security service;
- Notify watchmen in case of the presence of undesirable persons;
- Contact security services on the 12 and 13 channels in case of threat on life and property safety;
- Accommodating prostitutes is forbidden.
Before Casting off
- Check that stowaways are not embarked;
- Contact the shipping agent, the immigration police and security services on the VHF 12 or 13 channels in case of the presence of stowaways so as to take dispositions for landing them.
Access to the Port
- Free access to roads, berths and storage yards inside the bonded area of the Abidjan Port is forbidden to the public;
- To access the port area and move along, any person or any vehicle must have an access card issued by the harbour master.