Société commerciale des transports et des ports
Société commerciale des transports et des ports, commonly abbreviated SCTP, is a state-owned Congolese transport enterprise operating railways, ports, river shipping and shipyards.
Last updated August 31, 2026
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Overview
Société commerciale des transports et des ports (SCTP) is a state-owned transport and infrastructure enterprise of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Headquartered on Boulevard du 30 Juin in Kinshasa’s Gombe commune, it operates an interconnected set of railway, seaport, inland-port, river-navigation and shipyard activities, principally in the northern and western parts of the country and along the Congo River system. Its principal transport corridor links the Atlantic-facing ports of Banana, Boma and Matadi with Kinshasa and inland destinations. The organization was created in 1935 under the name Office d’Exploitation des Transports Coloniaux (OTRACO), during the period of Belgian colonial administration. Its original purpose was to centralize the management of transport services, cargo handling and transshipment in the Belgian Congo and Ruanda-Urundi. It subsequently absorbed or took over important railway and river-transport assets, including the Mayumbe railway and the fleet and operations of Union Nationale des Transports Fluviaux. These changes made the organization a central instrument of the colonial economic and administrative system. After Congolese independence, the enterprise became the Office d’Exploitation des Transports au Congo. In 1971 it was renamed Office National des Transports (ONATRA), a name that remained widely used for four decades. During the post-independence period, ONATRA managed a broad network comprising maritime and river ports, the Matadi–Kinshasa railway, urban rail services in Kinshasa, river routes on the Congo and Kasai, inland ports, shipyards and, at different times, additional regional transport activities. It became one of the country’s largest employers and operated training institutions for transport personnel. The company’s history has been shaped by expansion as well as infrastructure constraints. Its river fleet grew substantially during the 1960s, but the organization faced difficult navigation conditions, transshipment requirements, security disruptions and the absence of a continuous rail connection between the Katanga region and Matadi. The removal of its transport monopoly in 1977 permitted private shipowners to compete in river passenger services and was followed by a marked decline in passenger traffic. War, damaged infrastructure, weak equipment renewal and interruptions to river traffic further reduced operational performance in later decades. SCTP’s present organizational structure is overseen by the Ministry of Transport and Communication together with the Ministry of Portfolio. It includes a board of directors, a management committee and a general management structure, supported by operational and administrative departments. Operational units cover maritime ports, the Port of Kinshasa, railways, ports and river transport, and shipyards. Support functions include technical services, human resources, general services, finance, organizational studies and internal audit. The modern SCTP therefore remains both a transport operator and a strategic public infrastructure institution, even though its services have repeatedly been affected by labor disputes, congestion, equipment shortages and broader national transport challenges.
History
The enterprise was established on 20 April 1935 by the Belgian colonial government as the Office d’Exploitation des Transports Coloniaux, or OTRACO. Its mandate was to consolidate transport administration, cargo handling and transshipment across the Belgian Congo and Ruanda-Urundi. In its first year, the organization assumed responsibility for the government-owned Société de Chemin de Fer du Mayumbe. It expanded in 1936 through the acquisition of railway interests and the assumption of the assets and liabilities of Union Nationale des Transports Fluviaux, whose fleet served the Congo River system, including the long route between Léopoldville and Stanleyville. OTRACO also replaced earlier concessionary arrangements relating to cargo handling at Matadi and Léopoldville. Through these transfers, it became a central operator of colonial rail and river logistics. The model combined railway transport, port work, vessel operations and transshipment, reflecting the geographic reality that much of the Congo’s commercial network depended on coordinated rail-and-river corridors. Following independence, the organization was renamed Office d’Exploitation des Transports au Congo. Jacques Mbilo became its first Congolese president of the management board in 1961. During this period the organization retained a broad network encompassing Banana, Boma, Matadi and Kinshasa; the Matadi–Kinshasa and Boma–Tshela railways; river services on the Congo and Kasai; inland ports; and other transport activities. It was also a major employer and maintained training schools for transport workers. The late 1960s brought both fleet expansion and structural difficulties. By 1965 the river fleet reportedly included 158 powered vessels and 874 barges. New mail boats, passenger barges and tank barges were added in 1969. At the same time, the national transport system still depended on transshipment and remained vulnerable to security disruptions and bottlenecks. Proposals to build a rail connection between Ilebo and Kinshasa were intended to create a more continuous route between the interior and Matadi, but the project required substantial investment and did not resolve the immediate operating constraints. In 1971 OTRACO became the Office National des Transports, or ONATRA. Passenger traffic reached a recorded high in 1973, but the removal of ONATRA’s monopoly in 1977 opened river shipping to private operators. Passenger volumes subsequently fell sharply. ONATRA nevertheless retained a large fleet, including barges, light barges, tugboats and passenger vessels. In 1991 it was reorganized into a structure involving holding, port-and-transport and shipyard components, although the separate arrangement was later consolidated. The Second Congo War disrupted river traffic beyond Mbandaka and contributed to the deterioration of services. In 2005, congestion at Matadi was aggravated by obsolete handling equipment and a large accumulation of containers. Equipment introductions and operational measures later helped reduce the backlog. The company then experienced major institutional and labor conflict in 2006, when its management committee was suspended by the transport ministry amid disputes over employee conditions and the legality of the appointment process. A separate customs-revenue reform at Matadi triggered a work stoppage after the customs administration received exclusive collection authority. Further labor action affected Matadi in 2007. The organization later adopted the name Société commerciale des transports et des ports, abbreviated SCTP. Under its current framework it remains a state-owned enterprise supervised by the transport and portfolio ministries. Its operating departments cover maritime ports, Kinshasa Port, railway services, inland navigation and shipyards. Its support departments provide technical, financial, human-resources, planning, general-services and audit functions. The SCTP continues to represent one of the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s principal public transport and logistics institutions, though its development is closely tied to infrastructure renewal, navigation conditions, labor relations and public-sector reform.
- 2011
Adopted the SCTP name
[1]The enterprise became known as Société commerciale des transports et des ports.
- 1991
Organizational restructuring
[1]ONATRA was reorganized into holding, transport-and-port and shipyard components before later consolidation.
- 1977
Transport monopoly removed
[1]Private shipowners were allowed to enter the river-transport market.
- 1971
ONATRA created
[1]The organization was restructured and renamed Office National des Transports.
- 1961
First Congolese board president
[1]Jacques Mbilo became the first Congolese president of the management board.
- 1960
Renamed OTRACO
[1]After independence, the organization became the Office d’Exploitation des Transports au Congo.
- 1936
River transport assets consolidated
[1]OTRACO took over the assets and liabilities of Union Nationale des Transports Fluviaux and its river fleet.
- 1935
OTRACO established
[1]The Belgian colonial government created the Office d’Exploitation des Transports Coloniaux to centralize transport, port-handling and transshipment activities.
- 1935
Mayumbe railway transferred to OTRACO
[1]The Société de Chemin de Fer du Mayumbe was placed under OTRACO administration.
Products and positioning
A state-owned multimodal transport and logistics operator serving the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s strategic western and northern corridors.
Rail transport
Railway services
SCTP operates the Matadi–Kinshasa railway and urban rail transport in Kinshasa. The railway connects the Atlantic-facing port system with the capital and forms part of the country’s multimodal freight and passenger network.
Port operations
Maritime port services
The maritime ports department manages operations at Matadi, Boma and Banana, including cargo handling and navigation-related services associated with the lower Congo River and the country’s maritime gateway.
Inland port operations
Kinshasa Port services
The Kinshasa Port department handles goods, logs and sawn timber at the capital’s port facilities, including the flammable-goods beach at Kingabwa on the Congo River.
Inland waterway transport
River and barge transport
SCTP provides river transport on the Congo, Kasai and tributary waterways, including services between Kinshasa and Kisangani, Kinshasa and Ilebo, and the Kinshasa–Brazzaville crossing from Ngobila Beach.
Marine engineering
Shipyard services
The shipyard department operates facilities at Ndolo in Kinshasa, Boma and Boera in Mbandaka. Activities include vessel maintenance, careening, repairs and construction of new river craft.
Brand decisions
2007
Matadi port equipment investmentOtherBackground
Persistent cargo-handling constraints and congestion created pressure for equipment renewal at Matadi.
Action taken
ONATRA commissioned new cargo-handling machinery financed from its own resources.
Aftermath
The equipment was intended to improve port productivity and relieve operational bottlenecks.
Reported equipment investment. Approximately US$14 million (2007)
2006
Customs collection authority transferred at MatadiOtherBackground
A presidential decree changed the collection of import revenues at Matadi Port and reduced ONATRA’s direct role in customs-related receipts.
Action taken
The Office des Douanes et Accises became the exclusive intermediary for importers and exporters in collecting the relevant revenues.
Aftermath
A strike halted Matadi Port operations for approximately one week, with ONATRA relying on retrocessions for operational expenses.
1977
End of transport monopolyStrategyBackground
The state removed ONATRA’s exclusive position in river passenger transport and permitted private shipowners to enter the market.
Action taken
Private operators were allowed to compete with ONATRA in river shipping.
Aftermath
Passenger traffic declined substantially in the following years, although ONATRA continued to maintain a large river fleet.
Sources1 sources
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