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Viewing cable 07KINSHASA784, RIVER TRANSPORT IN THE DRC

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Reference ID Created Released Classification Origin
07KINSHASA784 2007-07-10 15:29 2011-08-25 00:00 UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY Embassy Kinshasa
VZCZCXRO8232
RR RUEHBZ RUEHDU RUEHGI RUEHJO RUEHMR RUEHRN
DE RUEHKI #0784/01 1911529
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 101529Z JUL 07
FM AMEMBASSY KINSHASA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 6481
INFO RUEHXR/RWANDA COLLECTIVE
RUCNSAD/SOUTHERN AF DEVELOPMENT COMMUNITY
RHMFISS/HQ USEUCOM VAIHINGEN GE
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC
RHEFDIA/DIA WASHDC
RUFOADA/JAC MOLESWORTH RAF MOLESWORTH UK
UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 KINSHASA 000784 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: EWWT EAID ECON EINV CG
SUBJECT: RIVER TRANSPORT IN THE DRC 
 
1. (SBU) Summary: River transport will likely play a pivotal 
role and become very lucrative in the event of economic 
recovery in the DRC.  There is a very high demand for river 
transport, but corruption, lack of government services and 
other obstacles limit growth.  End summary. 
 
---------- 
BACKGROUND 
---------- 
 
2. (U) The DRC's river system is a crucial component of the 
transport sector, particularly as few roads link major cities 
throughout the country.  The Congo River and its main 
tributary, the Kasai, form the primary river system, with 
over 9,000 navigable miles that reach about three-fourths of 
the DRC.  The Congo River is navigable for a stretch of about 
1,000 miles, from Kinshasa to Kisangani, Orientale province, 
and the Kasai is about 500 miles long, linking Bandundu city, 
in Bandundu province, to Ilebo, Western Kasai.  Other 
important tributaries include the Ubangi, Itimbiri, Lomami, 
Kwilu and Lukenie, and in the east the lakes Tanganyika and 
Kivu are integral.  According to NGO Innovative Resources 
Management (IRM), which manages a river anti-corruption 
program, 60 boats travel along the Congo River monthly with 
an estimated 36,000 tons, but traffic along the Kasai exceeds 
120 boats monthly carrying 72,000 tons. 
 
3. (U) River transport is generally used to transport 
consumer goods and humanitarian aid supplies to the interior 
of the country, and to deliver agricultural products, such as 
corn, manioc and peanuts, for domestic and limited export 
sale.  According to river transport operators, the cost of 
cargo on the Kasai is about 16 cents per ton per mile, and 12 
cents per ton per mile on the Congo.  The price differential 
is a result of easier navigability on the Congo River 
compared to the Kasai; however, more water transporters work 
on the Kasai since they feel there are fewer risks in going 
the shorter distance.  There are 13 ports along the Kasai, 
compared to at least 20 along the Congo River, according to 
IRM.  The General Director of a private operator TFCE said 
that while air transport is faster, its cost is roughly ten 
times that of water transport fees. Boats moving with the 
current from the interior to Kinshasa take two-thirds the 
time of an upstream voyage to the interior. 
 
4. (SBU) The principal government agency in the sector is the 
Regie des Voies Fluviales (RVF), which in theory is 
responsible for waterway upkeep.  However, according to 
numerous contacts, it rarely performs its functions.  Other 
relevant state agencies include the Office Nationale des 
Transports (ONATRA) and the Societe des Chemins de Fer du 
Congo (SNCC), although their roles have diminished 
significantly since the 1980s.  ONATRA operates limited Congo 
River transport, while the SNCC transport includes the 
eastern DRC's lakes including Kivu and Tanganyika.  ONATRA 
reports that their boats are over 30 years old, and most of 
their docks are informally leased to private industries.  An 
SNCC official in the Kinshasa office reported to EconOff that 
they operate at 25 percent capacity and are 26 months behind 
in employee salary payments.  Private enterprises are 
becoming increasingly dominant, and make up at least 
three-fourths of river transport according to Initiative for 
Central Africa (INICA) report "Afrique Centrale Les 
Infrastructures de Transport." 
 
--------------------- 
WIDESPREAD CORRUPTION 
--------------------- 
 
5. (U) Despite the demand for river transport, several 
factors limit its growth, including corruption and the lack 
of supporting government services.  Companies often face tax 
harassment, such as demands to buy an "annual" permit every 
six months and to pay numerous unauthorized taxes that do not 
apply to the transport sector.  Contacts in the river sector 
reported varying degrees of success in dealing with these 
problems.  One private operator reported that he was 
obligated to pay an illegal tax, while another managed to pay 
a small fee in its place.  Bribery is also rampant on the 
rivers, increasing the cost and duration of voyages, and 
consequently the price of goods.  A 2003 IRM study estimated 
that 25 percent of the cost of a bag of manioc was the result 
of illegal taxation.  Public officials' low salaries are a 
main  factor in the bribery, according to experts in the 
sector.  TFCE's director said that an 18 day trip to 
Kisangani takes up to 30 days, as operators must check in 
 
KINSHASA 00000784  002 OF 003 
 
 
with all official and unofficial "government agencies" in at 
least 10 different ports en route. 
 
6. (SBU) There are four government agencies authorized to 
oversee port and river transport activities according to 
March 2002 law 036, but TFCE's director said there are at 
least 12 other agencies that operate unofficially (16 
according to 2004 IRM reports).  These include the Republican 
Guard, three different hygiene agencies, two agricultural 
agencies, four water transport police bodies, and 
intelligence and anti-corruption agencies.  The owner of 
Societe Elmay et Freres on Lake Kivu reported a similar 
situation, with 23 illegal agencies.  Conversely, in Mbandaka 
on the Congo River, sources said the Force Navale is the only 
agency controlling and exploiting the port.  IRM also said 
that in some cases in the interior the Force Navale or the 
Police Fluviale control ports. 
 
--------------------------- 
POORLY MAINTAINED WATERWAYS 
--------------------------- 
 
7. (SBU) The GDRC's failure to maintain the waterways is the 
second main impediment to efficient river traffic.  The RVF 
is responsible for dredging the river, marking the routes, 
and providing updated information and maps, but as discussed 
above, the RVF fails to perform these functions.  RVF's 
Technical Director told EconOff the RVF needs roughly USD two 
million annually to perform its duties, but that the 2007 
national budget allocated only USD 48,000 and that RVF direct 
tax receipts add little to this sum.  (Note: Private 
operators have said their companies pay ten to twenty 
thousand dollars in taxes directly to the RVF per year.  End 
note) 
 
8. (SBU) One expert described the state of the water 
transport sector as "ground zero."  Trees, sunken boats and 
other hazards, as well as undredged areas, make portions of 
the river inaccessible according to private operators.  A 
forestry company owner reported that the Mbandaka port is 
clogged with weapons that were dumped in the water during the 
conflicts and that parts of the Kinshasa port are silted.  In 
the absence of accurate maps, captains make their own 
navigational charts.  One operator reported that some boats 
send a canoe a couple of hours ahead to put up temporary 
markers (often sticks with a plastic bag attached) on sand 
bars -- which move constantly -- or rocks to aid navigation. 
Further, boats can only run during the day because the RVF 
does not light waterways. 
 
----------------------- 
DEMAND EXEEDS CAPACITY 
----------------------- 
 
9. (SBU As a result of corruption, navigation and othermarket obstacles, water 
transport activity is morelimited 
today than 20 years ago despite growing emand.  As a result, 
according to IRM, many villages are not able to access goods 
or transport their crops because water transporters cannot or 
will not travel to their areas; some villages can only convey 
goods to the immediate areas in canoes or on makeshift rafts. 
 IR employees told EconOff that 20 years ago boats usd to 
pass by villages on the Congo River every 1 minutes, however 
now a full day can pass withoutany traffic.  There is higher 
demand for transpot to Kinshasa than to the interior because 
ruralcommunities need to export heavy agricultural prodce. 
The Commissariat Fluval, which grants navigation permits, 
reported that 3,303 boats left the Kinshasa port in 2006 
carrying 582,844 tons and that 1,660 boats entered the 
Kinshasa port carrying 640,236 tons, with an average total 
transport of 90,433 tons monthly to and from Kinshasa. 
 
10. (SBU) The difficulty of acquiring new capital and skilled 
labor also impedes growth.  Many water transport businesses 
are operating with old equipment.  The manager of the private 
operator Mpkasa said it is expensive and time-consuming to 
import boats, and that finding skilled labor is difficult. 
The only navigation school in the DRC closed many years ago, 
and expatriate captains are subject to greater harassment 
than Congolese. 
 
------- 
COMMENT 
------- 
 
11. (SBU) Comment.  There is an increasing demand for 
 
KINSHASA 00000784  003 OF 003 
 
 
dependable river transport, and businesses already in place 
will have an advantage over newer arrivals as the DRC economy 
grows.  Private companies are now taking the lead in the 
sector, and new opportunities could prove lucrative. 
However, both cultural knowledge and specialized skills are 
required to prosper in this sector.  Interested American 
investors would benefit from establishing local partnerships. 
 Improving RVF's performance is necessary to develop river 
transport, as is dealing with deeply entrenched corruption. 
End comment. 
MEECE