Over 90 percent of international trade between Sub Saharan Africa and foreign countries is conducted via maritime transport and most shipping companies operating in the region are European. The region accounts for 2–3 percent of global merchandise trade by value, and slightly more than 2 percent of worldwide maritime cargo originates in or is destined for an SSA port.
Approximately 87 percent of the total volume of cargo exported from SSA ports is crude petroleum, with the remaining 13 percent divided evenly between minerals and metals (primarily bauxite and iron ore) and general cargo (including agricultural goods and textiles and apparel). By contrast, 90 percent of maritime cargo destined for SSA ports consists of general cargo. Crude petroleum is transported by tankers, minerals and metals are transported by break bulk carriers, and general cargo is transported by both break bulk carriers and container ships.
Large international shipping firms such as Danish-based Maersk and French-based CMACGM account for the bulk of maritime transport service between SSA and non-SSA markets. In particular, these two firms transport the majority of containerized cargo between SSA and Europe, the largest market for SSA exports. Other foreign-based shipping firms that have a substantial presence in the region include the German firm Hapag-Lloyd, the Italian firm Grimaldi Lines, and the Swiss firm Mediterranean Shipping Co.
In recent years, the maritime transport market in SSA has become more concentrated, as many large shipping firms have been absorbed through corporate consolidations. For example, in 2005, Maersk purchased the liner shipping business of British-based P&O Nedlloyd, and Hapag-Lloyd merged its operations with the Canadian firm CP Ships. Earlier, in 1999, Maersk also purchased the South African shipping firm Safmarine, one of the largest regional shipping lines providing service between SSA and foreign countries.
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