{"id":755058,"date":"2026-09-27T15:05:00","date_gmt":"2026-09-27T19:05:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mereja.com\/index\/?p=755058"},"modified":"2026-10-05T13:50:33","modified_gmt":"2026-10-05T17:50:33","slug":"berbera-sits-at-30-capacity-while-ethiopia-still-routes-96-7-of-seaborne-trade-through-djibouti","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mereja.com\/index\/755058","title":{"rendered":"Berbera sits at 30% capacity while Ethiopia still routes 96.7% of seaborne trade through Djibouti"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"DP<\/p>\n

Berbera Port in Somaliland uses about 30 percent of its larger capacity, a senior DP World official said. DP World is based in Dubai and runs the port. The low use comes after hundreds of millions of dollars were spent to make Berbera a main entry point for Ethiopia and the wider Horn of Africa. Jama Mohamed Ahmed, DP World director for trade in the Horn of Africa, gave the figure to Middle East Eye. Somalia Today reported the talk on September 22.<\/p>\n

Ahmed said the port has not drawn the Ethiopian trade that was hoped for when it grew. DP World raised the yearly container limit to 500,000 twenty-foot containers. The port can also handle about two million tonnes of general, bulk and break-bulk cargo each year.<\/p>\n

Figures from Ethiopia\u2019s transport ministry show that almost all sea trade still goes through Djibouti. Birr Metrics reported on August 27 that the sector moved 17.57 million metric tonnes of import and export cargo in the 2025\/26 financial year. State Minister for Transport and Logistics Denge Boru released the figures, Birr Metrics said. The Port of Djibouti handled 96.71 percent of cargo through sea gates, about 15.34 million tonnes. Berbera took 2.74 percent. Tadjoura took 1.23 percent. The Mombasa to Moyale route took 0.56 percent. Those four shares add to more than 100 percent. Imports were 15.93 million tonnes. Exports were 1.64 million tonnes.<\/p>\n

Road trucks carried 14.08 million tonnes, about 80 percent of freight. The Ethio-Djibouti railway carried 3.32 million tonnes. Together they carried 17.40 million tonnes. That is below the 17.57 million tonne total. The same ministry figures list air cargo for the rest. Air cargo was 164,781 tonnes, or 0.94 percent.<\/p>\n

DP World took charge of Berbera under a long lease. It has pledged up to $442 million to build and expand the port. The company said in 2021 that the first phase raised yearly container space from 150,000 to 500,000 twenty-foot containers. A planned second phase would make the quay longer. It would raise the limit to as many as two million containers a year.<\/p>\n

DP World has also built the Berbera Economic Zone. It backs a road link from the port to the Ethiopian border. In 2021 the company and Ethiopia\u2019s transport ministry signed a deal to study work on the Ethiopian side of the road. At the time the partners planned up to $1 billion of spending on transport and storage over ten years. The plans included dry ports, warehouses and container yards.<\/p>\n

During a visit by Middle East Eye, Russian grain was readied for travel to Ethiopia and South Sudan. Boxes from China bound for Egypt were moved between ships. Workers unloaded sugar from India and timber from Malaysia for sale in Somaliland. \u201cAll the infrastructure is here. It\u2019s only a matter of time,\u201d Ahmed told Middle East Eye.<\/p>\n

Somalia Today said the remarks came eight months after the federal government of Somalia ended all deals with the United Arab Emirates. The deals covered the ports of Berbera, Bosaso and Kismayo. Mogadishu said the step, taken on January 12, answered violations of Somalia\u2019s sovereignty. Puntland, Jubaland and Somaliland rejected the federal step. They said their deals with the UAE stay in force.<\/p>\n

Ethiopia signed a memorandum of understanding in January 2024 with Somaliland on access to the coast. The deal caused a row with Mogadishu. Turkey later helped the sides talk. The talks led to the Ankara Declaration in December 2024.<\/p>\n

Ahmed Abdi, a geopolitical analyst based in Mogadishu, told Somalia Today that the 30 percent figure backs his view. He said the UAE took control of Berbera and Bosaso to hold back rivals to its own Jebel Ali port. Somalia Today said that view is Abdi\u2019s. DP World says its Berbera spending will grow trade in the region. It says Ethiopia and other Horn markets will gain a second sea entry point.<\/p>\n

Al Jazeera reported on September 13 that Houthi forces had taken Yemen\u2019s Red Sea coast. The coast includes Mokha and Mayyun (Perim). It cited data from IMF PortWatch. The data show Red Sea ship volume and tonnage fell 50 to 55 percent from 2023 to 2025. Al Jazeera said large shipping firms still send ships around the Cape of Good Hope in South Africa. The detour adds more than 20 days in travel.<\/p>\n

In the same release reported by Birr Metrics, Ethiopia\u2019s transport ministry listed the chief problems for the sector. They are security fears in the region, higher freight fees, shaky world shipping and strain on transit roads. The 30 percent figure has not been checked against Ethiopia\u2019s customs records.<\/p>\n

Sources:<\/strong><\/p>\n