Supply Chain & InventoryFree referencePDF, Excel, Word exportAfrica

Africa Major Ports and UN/LOCODE Reference Table

Port of loading and port of discharge fields appear on purchase orders, shipping instructions, bills of lading and customs entries. Using a clean, standard code for each port saves hours of manual correction. This table lists major African seaports with their UN/LOCODE values and the inland corridors they serve.

Download:

Port	Country	UN/LOCODE	Region	Role for inland trade
Durban	South Africa	ZADUR	Southern	Large container and general cargo gateway, serves Gauteng and neighboring SADC countries by road and rail.
Cape Town	South Africa	ZACPT	Southern	Container, fruit and general cargo port serving the Western Cape.
Richards Bay	South Africa	ZARCB	Southern	Bulk cargo port, notably coal and other dry bulk.
Maputo	Mozambique	MZMPM	Southern	Gateway on the Maputo corridor to Gauteng and landlocked eSwatini region.
Beira	Mozambique	MZBEW	Southern	Beira corridor port serving Zimbabwe, Zambia and Malawi.
Walvis Bay	Namibia	NAWVB	Southern	Atlantic port with road corridors to Botswana, Zambia and South Africa.
Luanda	Angola	AOLAD	Southern	Main general cargo and container port for Angola.
Lobito	Angola	AOLOB	Southern	Atlantic port at the start of the Benguela railway corridor toward the DRC and Zambia.
Dar es Salaam	Tanzania	TZDAR	East	Central corridor gateway for Tanzania and landlocked neighbors such as Zambia, Rwanda and Burundi.
Mombasa	Kenya	KEMBA	East	Northern corridor gateway for Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi and eastern DRC.
Djibouti	Djibouti	DJJIB	East	Main sea access for Ethiopian imports and exports.
Port Said	Egypt	EGPSD	North	Mediterranean end of the Suez Canal, major container transshipment area.
Alexandria	Egypt	EGALY	North	Major Mediterranean container and general cargo port.
Damietta	Egypt	EGDAM	North	Mediterranean container and bulk port east of Alexandria.
Tanger Med	Morocco	MAPTM	North	Large container and transshipment complex at the Strait of Gibraltar.
Casablanca	Morocco	MACAS	North	Main port for Moroccan industrial and consumer cargo.
Dakar	Senegal	SNDKR	West	Atlantic port serving Senegal and Mali by road and rail.
Abidjan	Cote d'Ivoire	CIABJ	West	Largest port in francophone West Africa, serves Burkina Faso and Mali transit.
Tema	Ghana	GHTEM	West	Main container port for Ghana, also used for transit to Burkina Faso.
Lome	Togo	TGLFW	West	Deep water container port with significant transshipment and Sahel transit.
Cotonou	Benin	BJCOO	West	Port serving Benin and transit traffic toward Niger and Nigeria.
Lagos	Nigeria	NGLOS	West	Lagos port complex including Apapa and Tin Can Island, with the newer Lekki deep sea port nearby.
Port Louis	Mauritius	MUPLU	Indian Ocean	Main port of Mauritius, also a regional transshipment hub.

UN/LOCODE values come from the UN/ECE code list. Check the current list for exact terminals and berths, and always confirm terminal names with your forwarder before you set a port of discharge on a purchase order or shipment.

Clean up your port and location master

Optional: we can profile free text port fields in your ERP and map them to UN/LOCODE values.

Optional. The tool and every export work without this. No spam.

How to use the table

Search by port name, country or code. Copy the UN/LOCODE into your ERP location or port master, and use the role column when comparing routings for a landlocked destination. A shipment to Lusaka may arrive through Dar es Salaam, Beira or Durban, and each choice changes transit time, border crossings and demurrage risk. Add the corridor and typical transit days to your own copy of the sheet after you export it.

What a UN/LOCODE is

A UN/LOCODE is a five character code. The first two characters are the ISO country code and the last three identify the place, for example ZA plus DUR for Durban. It is maintained by the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe and is used by carriers, customs systems and logistics platforms. Using the same code across your ERP, your forwarder's system and customs documents makes reconciliation and landed cost reporting simpler.

Choosing a port for landlocked destinations

Do not pick the closest port on the map. Compare corridor performance, border post delays, transit bond requirements, rail availability and the free days that the shipping line allows at each port. For high value electronics or defense related cargo, include security and insurance conditions on the route. Many manufacturers keep a primary and a backup route in the ERP so planners can switch when a port is congested.

Ask forwarders for door to door transit time, not only port to port.
Check free days for containers and storage at each port.
Confirm transit bond or customs guarantee rules for the route.

Common mistakes

Frequent mistakes are using a city name instead of a port code, mixing up Lagos terminals, and assuming the same free days apply at every port. Another is leaving the port field as free text in the ERP, which produces dozens of spellings of Durban. Load the code list as a validated table and make the field a lookup.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is every African port listed here?

No. It covers major seaports commonly used by manufacturers for imports and exports. Smaller ports, river ports and dry ports exist and have their own codes. Check the UN/LOCODE list for any location not shown.

Why does Lagos have one code for several terminals?

UN/LOCODE identifies a place, not each terminal. Apapa, Tin Can and Lekki are terminals in the Lagos area. Use the terminal name in a separate field when your forwarder or customs entry needs it.

Can I use this for air freight?

This table covers seaports. Airports use IATA codes, which are different from UN/LOCODE. Keep a separate lookup for airports in your ERP.

How current is the port information?

Codes are stable, but corridor roles, terminal operators and capacity change. Use the role column as orientation and confirm current conditions with your forwarder or port authority.

If port and route data in your ERP is inconsistent, Netray can profile your shipping and purchase tables and propose a clean location master.

Talk to an Expert Explore More Free Tools

Related Tools

Supply Chain & Inventory

More Supply Chain & Inventory tools

See all

Back to All Tools