Tug masters trained for growing Somali container port operations

Friends Marin co-founder Basar Bozkurt delivered the training, which was tailored according to the operational needs and experience of the participants.

Co-ordinated operation modules contained exercises such as three tugs manoeuvring together to assist a ship, which aligns with real operational conditions at Alport Mogadishu.

“At the end of the training, all participants successfully acquired the knowledge and practical skills needed to operate their tugs more safely and efficiently within operational limits,” said Friends Marin.

Alport Mogadishu continues to invest in the port and enhance the competencies of its maritime personnel under its 20-year agreement with the Somalia Port Authority. In its second phase of investment, it plans to expand the capacity and capability of the multipurpose port.

Mogadishu has six wharves, including five 160-m general cargo berths and a 200-m container terminal, handling diverse shipments from dry bulk and liquid cargo to containers, roro and breakbulk goods.

In January 2026, the port handled two container ships, MSC Sky II and MSC Silver II, simultaneously, with loading and discharge operations running in parallel, with uninterrupted workflows across the terminal.

This helped the port set a record for container throughput with 21,650 TEU from 16 container carriers handled in one month, according to Alport Mogadishu port operations planner Abdijabar Omar Mustaf. 

He said the port also started transit cargo operations in January, after MSC launched a new direct service from Colombo, Sri Lanka, to Mogadishu.

“With the service’s first call by MSC Silver II, transhipment cargo was discharged for the first time and subsequently loaded onto MSC Malin II, thereby initiating transit cargo operations,” said Mr Mustaf.