International Container Terminal Services Inc. (ICTSI) and Société de Gestion du Port Autonome de Toamasina (SPAT) recently signed a 15-year extension of the concession for the Madagascar International Container Terminal at the port city of Toamasina.

The concession extension runs from 2025 through to 2040.

ICTSI has held the concession since 2005 through its wholly owned subsidiary Madagascar International Container Terminal Services Limited (MICTSL).

The Port of Toamasina is the main maritime gateway for Madagascar and MICTSL is the dedicated provider of state-of-the-art container handling services.

Throughout its tenure MICTSL, working in conjunction with SPAT, added capacity and streamlined services in line with the needs of Madagascar’s diverse import and export community.

Significantly, the concession extension complements the $639 million port expansion project now underway in Toamasina with $411 million provided by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and $227 million by the Government of Madagascar.

The implementation of the port extension project guarantees the presence of modern port capacity over the long term.

“When ICTSI, working with SPAT, first established a container terminal operation in Toamasina, it quickly became widely recognized as a center of excellence in the region," according to Hans-Ole Madsen, ICTSI senior vice president and head of EMEA.

"Today, in this new phase of development, we aim to maintain this momentum, drawing on our industry expertise, new technology, attention to sustainability and applying the principles of good corporate citizenship,” he added.

Major container sector improvements include comprehensive quay and yard capacity expansions.

A new 756-meter container berth, with a draught of -16 meters alongside and equipped with ship-to-shore container gantries, is central to plans to provide for increases of vessel size up to a capacity of 14,000 TEUs.

Infrastructure improvements on the landside will see the addition of a 15-hectare container yard as well as a new gate complex, a modern workshop and extensive security infrastructure.

Reefer capacity will be extended from the present 120 plugs to +400 plugs.

“Working with all stakeholders, we are very confident we can play a leading role in future proofing the port and ensuring the success of the port expansion project,” Madsen concluded.