Toamasina port currently has storage space exceeding 200,000 m². With global commerce evolving rapidly, Toamasina port aims to keep pace. The port expansion is entering a new phase. The Autonomous Port Authority of Toamasina (SPAT) plans to establish a new dry port to maximize container storage before redistribution to Southern Africa and the Indian Ocean. This is the commitment made by the company's management, which also aims to make Toamasina the region's leading hub. This initiative stems from a clear observation: "Currently, certain goods destined for Madagascar transit through intermediate ports like Réunion or Mauritius before arriving in the country. This situation increases transport costs for economic operators. If a product should cost 10 ariary, it costs 12 after these multiple transits. If we expand the port, there will be no logistical problems, and shipping companies will come to us," said Heritiana Anicet Randriambahoaka, SPAT's CEO, yesterday.
Traffic Increase
The main challenge is logistical. A larger port will accommodate bigger container ships and more cargo. "The development of dry port III is intended, first and foremost, to streamline port flows. It will be built in Tsarakofafa, a locality straddling RN2, located at the southern entrance to Toamasina city," port authority officials explained to TVM. This locality was already acquired in 1997 by the port authority in anticipation of increased maritime traffic. Today, with the growth of global commercial flows, this dry port is absolutely necessary to generate foreign currency and ensure commercial and logistics activities around the port. Expected economic returns are substantial. Analysts estimate that dry port III could generate 65 billion ariary in annual revenue during the first three to five years. After 5 years, it could reach nearly 100 billion ariary. According to Anicet Randriambahoaka, "The development of port activities should also generate more resources through fees, which can contribute to city improvement projects." According to SPAT, residents settled in Tsarakofafa, who will be affected by this development project, will be relocated "under the best possible conditions." They will be rehoused on a developed 250 m² plot at the old dry port, with a donation deed to secure their land. According to available data, approximately two hundred seventy people were identified on the Dry Port III site. To date, more than one hundred people have reportedly already accepted the relocation principle.