Overview:

Port of Matadi is the primary seaport in the Democratic Republic of Congo, the largest port in the Democratic Republic of Congo, and the capital of Bas-Congo Province. On the left bank of the lower reaches of the Congo River (Zaire River), 148 kilometers (92 miles) from the mouth of the river, 8 kilometers (5.0 miles) from the last sailing point, 10,000-ton ships can be reached. Before the rapids made the river impassable, Port Matadi was founded in 1879 by Sir Henry Morton Stanley. The port wharf is 1,600 meters long and can accommodate 10 ships at the same time. A container terminal was built in 1984. After several expansions, it is known as the "lung of the Congo" due to its important status.

Matadi has the country's largest flour mill, multi-squeezed oil (palm oil), sawmills, and textile industries. Population 245,862 (2004).

Introduction

Export copper, palm oil, wood, cotton, rubber, etc. Ango Ango, a subordinate port 11 kilometers downstream, is an important fishing port. Railroads, highways and oil pipelines run through Kinshasa, connecting with the Congo River, which is blocked by Livingston Falls. There is a huge Inga Hydropower Station 30 kilometers up the river, which is currently being actively planned for expansion.

Commercial Port Overview

Matadi Port is the largest commercial port in the Democratic Republic of Congo. It is located on the south bank of the lower reaches of the Congo River, 135 kilometers west of the Atlantic Ocean. Sea ships can directly reach the port terminal. The sea route is 272 nautical miles from Luanda in the south, 1829 nautical miles from Cape Town Port, and 172 nautical miles from Lijiao Port in the north. The port has 10 berths along the shore arranged in order from top to bottom, with a water depth of 8-10 meters and a berth length of 143-188 meters, of which the seventh berth is 188 meters long. It can securely berth full container ships, and each berth is equipped with lifting machinery. The Zaire River has sufficient water volume and stable water level. However, due to the existence of waterfalls in the upper river channel of the port, sea-going ships cannot directly reach Kinshasa, so most of the country's import and export materials are distributed there. The annual throughput of the port is about 2 million tons, and the container throughput ranks sixth in West Africa.

infrastructure

The port at the mouth of the Congo River is one of the largest in Africa. Except for the farthest upstream, Matadi, three ports are located among them. The other ports are Boma and Banana in the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Soyo in Angola. Matadi is the country's main import and export point. The main exports are coffee and wood. The national fishing company "Pemarza" uses the port to supply fish to Kinshasa. Tshimpi Airport is nearby, but it is reportedly invalid.

The Matadi Bridge, a 722-meter-long suspension bridge, was built in 1983 with a main span of 520 meters. It crosses the river in the south of Matadi and carries the main road connecting Kinshasa to the coast. After passing Matadi and the bridge, it continues to Boma, Manda and Banana. Although a mixed railway and highway bridge has been built, there are currently no railway lines operating on the bridge. Matadi is the port railway of the 366-kilometer Matadi-Kinshasa Railway, used to bypass the rapids of the upstream river. A builder of the monument railway stands on a nearby hill.

A power station on the M'pozo River supplies Matadi with electricity.