For several years, Toamasina's port terminal has been congested. Empty containers accumulate there, causing considerable losses due to these logistical problems. A dry port could theoretically relieve congestion at Toamasina's port terminal. This is an unambiguous operational reality. According to recent data, Toamasina port had over ninety-five thousand empty containers in stock in 2025. This entire static mass obstructs the port terminal and hampers destocking operations. According to data provided by the Autonomous Port Management Company (SPAT), 280 to 350 trucks circulate daily on the logistics corridor connecting the port city to the rest of the country. These are significant volumes and, according to estimates, this daily flow of heavy transporters supplies vital goods to numerous regions.
To address this problem, the port company wants to establish an Inland Container Depot (ICD). This dry port will be capable of holding large volumes of containers and thus relieving the port terminal. "This will streamline logistics operations at Toamasina port," officials indicate. In a statement, SPAT adds that this new dry port will be the inland extension of Toamasina port. "One of the ICD's main objectives is to serve as a pressure valve for the main terminal. The large volume of empty containers currently mobilizes spaces that could be better devoted to operations. This includes relieving the port terminal directly linked to ships and cargo," they explain.
Countries like Kenya, India, and Spain have developed ICDs specifically to relieve their port terminals. According to data from specialized sites like Terminal Industries, in countries that have implemented such infrastructure, ship waiting times at dock can be reduced by 30 to 50 percent, as containers are directly evacuated inland. Certain marginal costs also decrease. There are fewer penalty fees for importers thanks to cheaper storage inland than in saturated port zones. Moreover, dry port creation generates jobs in the logistics sector and promotes the emergence of industrial zones around these facilities. However, this solution presents certain drawbacks, observed by logistics specialists. Installing a dry port does not guarantee success: several countries face chronic inefficiencies. Unloading a container from a ship, placing it on a train, unloading it at an ICD, then loading it onto a truck multiplies handling operations. If the distance between the port and ICD is too short, these handling costs cancel out the financial advantage of mass transport.
In certain West African and South Asian countries, ICDs were created without functional rail connections. Moving thousands of containers by truck to an ICD merely displaces the bottleneck from the maritime port inland. Furthermore, in some countries, institutions have noted that if the ICD's customs services are not digitized or suffer from corruption, the dry port becomes a saturated storage zone (a "congestion port") rather than a fluid transit center. The promoters of Toamasina's dry port project nevertheless intend to embrace the situation comprehensively. "Beyond addressing current constraints, the project prepares Toamasina port for future traffic evolution. The development of port infrastructure must indeed be accompanied by sufficient logistics capacity to absorb increased flows without increasing pressure on the terminal and road networks," they indicate.
Itamara Otton