In April, Djibouti Shipping Company acquired its first ship, M/V Africa Sun, a common user feeder vessel with 1118 TEU capacity.
Sailing with the Djibouti flag, the ship set sail from the Port of Mersin in Turkey and arrived in Djibouti on 19 July at a ceremony conducted under the high patronage of the President of the Republic of Djibouti Ismail Guelleh.
The new ship is set to drastically reduce transit time for merchandise travelling from Turkey to the region.
Transit times from Turkey to Djibouti will reduce from 30 days to 9 days.
Transit times from Turkey to Mogadishu will reduce from 40 days to 20 days.
The ship is now on the move and will be making regular journeys from Turkey to Mogadishu, via Djibouti, Berbera and Bossaso. It will have a significant impact on importers and exporters in this region of Somalia who will no longer need to use dhow boats for their maritime businesses.
“Djibouti Shipping Company is proud to be the first African company offering liner services and their first purchase shows they are taking important steps in becoming a major actor in the maritime sector.
![Rescuers search for survivors on the beach after two boats carrying migrants and refugees capsized off the shore near Godoria, in northeast Djibouti, in January 2019 [International Organization for Migration via AP]](https://i0.wp.com/www.horndiplomat.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/0cc33a2b73604a3cb7f21b5a9d3c4fe6_18.webp?resize=218%2C150&ssl=1 "UN says 38 dead, including children, as migrant boat sinks off Djibouti")
