Angola’s Sonangol Integrated Logistic Services (SONILS) and the Republic of Congo’s Integrated Logistic Services (ILOGS) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for strategic cooperation aimed at modernizing Congo’s oil and gas logistics operations — and potentially creating a major regional energy corridor linking Luanda to Pointe-Noire via Cabinda.
The agreement formalizes the transfer of technical expertise, adoption of international best practices, and joint development of more efficient logistics solutions to support Congo’s rapidly expanding hydrocarbon sector. Congo is targeting an ambitious output of 500,000 barrels per day (bpd) by 2030, a goal that demands a step-change in how equipment and materials are moved across the country’s oil sector infrastructure.
SONILS brings considerable institutional weight to the partnership. The Angolan company supports 60% of Angola’s daily oil production through its integrated supply base near Luanda — one of sub-Saharan Africa’s most advanced oil logistics networks. Its Luanda base spans 1.35 million square metres of facilities with a continuous 1,733-metre dock. By contrast, ILOGS currently operates within Pointe-Noire’s petroleum logistics zone where the dedicated oil quay extends only 400 metres, creating bottlenecks in cargo rotation, customs handling, and terminal operations.
Through knowledge transfer and access to SONILS’s mutualized heavy-lift equipment, ILOGS will be better positioned to reduce port congestion, improve offshore equipment mobilization, and handle future LNG or major upstream campaigns without being overwhelmed by capacity constraints. Analysts say the partnership could also pave the way for downstream cooperation between Angola’s Cabinda Refinery and Congo’s CORAF.
The partnership is being reinforced by parallel infrastructure upgrades. Congo launched a $76.2 million upgrade of the Pointe-Noire–Cabinda road in February, widening a 15.4-km stretch critical to heavy oil traffic between the Djeno terminal and the Angolan border. The route is expected to handle up to 15,000 vehicles per day, reducing overland transit times and complementing the emerging sea-based logistics corridor between the two countries.
Source: energycapitalpower.com