BARGES AND BOATS PRICES AND SCHEDULES ON THE CONGO RIVER. RENT OR CHARTER OR BOOK A SPACE OR A DELIVERY ON THE CONGO RIVER, RATES.
In the DRCongo ships are private and owners don’t have an online presence, and integrating freight and multimodal or even basic digital booking is nearly impossible before internet and telco connects the deep interior fully. We book passage, space, and needs for any tonnage on boats brokered throughout the Congo and handle importing, clearance, storage, delivery, and last mile domestic courier. We can also pickup or recover or retrieve anything deep in the jungle or the general Congo landmass, on or away from the river.
We work between Kinshasa, Kisangani, and all of the interior river towns on the main and secondary Congo rivers face to face with all boats responsible for freight and passenger transportation, and their owners, staff, and captains, send cargo as well as people to shepherd the cargo at time, or just staff or projects to outposts. If you have not lived or traveled the river systems clients may have a hard time understanding how the how rental and space is negotiated but often the barges, tugboats, and smaller boats operate independently and need to be rented in configurations or constellations, or we book cargo tonnage aboard or spots on ships up and down the river fingers.
Large private ferries have begun to ply the river too after restoration and millions of dollars invested in the past few years, and smaller boats and barges and even passenger cruisers are now available on the Congo River and smaller rivers.
There are two basic options as well for the barge rentals:
-You book space on the boat
-You rent the whole boat.
Same goes for the pusher (the boat that pushes barges and/or the “tug”).
The biggest inputs when discussing prices and determining your total cost is to be specific on the parcel/package/project, or the tonnage, timing, and final destination.
We provide information on demand.
BARGE SPACE PRICES
Here are some examples of the lowest raw rate samples for SAGRICOM ships and WANDEKA ships from the port and shipyard on the river.
-Kinshasa to Kisangani (all the way): from $80/ton
-Kinshasa to Mbandaka : from $50/ton
-Kinshasato Boende : from $80/ton
-Kinshsa to Bumba : from $70/ton
-Kinshasa to Ilebo : from $10/ton
-Kinshasa to Lusambo : from $150/ton
If you wish to ship a few kg on the boat, the rates are in the realm of a few dollars per kg.
Keep in mind that with this option, you are not hiring the whole boat; They load your goods along with others, but they take charge of security. Somebody will/can travel with the load as well, and they will have a place to sleep on board. This does not usually apply if you are a foreigner, and the police will kick you off or jail you if you do this without permission or are not a representative of your cargo. In fact, if the boat or barge is registered as cargo carrier, it would be tough transporting passengers… We know, you will see: “but there are many people travelling on barges.” Yes there are…but they are Congolese. While we can appoint local staff to shepherd your cargo, foreigners need special permission to ride with the cargo and so it is highly recommended unless it is sensitive or of exceptional value or maintenance in transit, that you let the boat staff do it. We can add our staff for a cost too and security.
The large barge itself may cover Kinshasa to Kisangani in two weeks but being loaded, it will become slow. Small boats are hugely expensive but can access and deliver in days. Airfreight as well. On the way, the barges will stop to discharge some cargo and wait again to get fully loaded pursuing the trip. Timing then becomes very uncertain.
Barge skeleton
We can also build a barge with a cabin on it, or a longboat, on request, for large shipments where the value makes economies of scale work in favor of a private build.
Concerning pricing for a whole barge and tug train, from Kinshasa (at LOMATA port)
The tug is powered by two 115 hp motors.
*Fuel consumption is 20 Liters per hour -each motor (40 Liters per hour)
*speed is 5 Km/h against the current and 10 Km/h desent
Eg: KINSHASA – MBANDAKA (700Km)
*Fuel consumption (against the current) 700 Km @ 5 Km/h speed = .140 hours….40 Liters ×140 hour = 5,600 Liters
*Fuel consumption (descent): 700 Km @ 10 Km/h speed = ……………70 hours……40 L ×70 hours …….= 2,800 L
TOTAL FUEL:
5,600 L + 2,800 L = 8,400 Liters (1L @ $ 1.1)
$ 9,240
ENGINE OIL (sae 50): 150 Liters
Maximum pushing capacity: 500 Tones
TUG RENTAL
$ 8,000 (exclusive of fuel) for 75 days rental (price slightly negotiable)
250 Tonne barge: $ 5,000
This is an example,
To go up to Kisangani, one should consider adding more fuel and oil.
The biggest expense on the whole river is fuel.
Some of the best barges are run by, and we book spaces on
TFCE, SOTRACO, CHANIC, WANDEKA, and a few other operator-owners. They do not book spaces and cargo but are in charge of captaining and operating the boats.
PRIVATE SMALL BOATS PRICES.
These kind of boats accommodate up to ten people as well as your cargo;
*Possibility to rent them for one or more days.
*Possibility to travel up to Mbandaka in about 3 days – and possibly all the way to Kisangani in less than a week.
Prices all day rental ranging from $500 to $700 to deliver around Kinshasa outlying rivertowns only;
Papers for the river for these boats are not overly complicated and are available for delivery permits on a case by case basis.
Again on shipping: to get the clearest prices, this information is critical for CRC:
*How many Tons does the shipment weigh
*Company (or particular project or person) name
*Expected date for departure
*Destination
Examples of small boats
FOR TRIPS OUT OF KIN
1. Kinshasa – Kisangani……..:$1,500/day + 7,000 Liters of Fuel +
2. Kinshasa – Mbandaka……: $1,000/day + 3,500 L of Fuel + 200 L of Engine Oil
3. Kinshasa – Inongo…………: $ 850/day + 1,800 L of Fuel + 75 L Engine Oil
4. Kinshasa – Yumbi………….: $ 850/day + 1,500 L of Fuel + 35 L of Engine Oil
5. Kinshasa – Mushie…………:$ 700/day + 1,300 L of Fuel + 30 L of Engine Oil
6. Kinshasa – Mayi-ndombe..:$700/day + 1,500 L of Fuel + 35 L of Engine Oil
7. Kinshasa – Kwamuth……..: $500/day + 1,000 L of Fuel + 25 L of Engine Oil
*Fuel price………:$1.28/Liter (CDF 2,240)
*Engine Oil……..: $10/Liter
The small private boat can cover Kinshasa to Kisangani in 4 days.
Kinshasa to Mbandaka, Inongo and Yumbi within 2 days.
As for Mushie, Mayi Ndombe and Kwamouth, one day is enough.
So
KIN KISANGANI (4days): $24,900 (+$500 per person)
KIN MBANDAKA (2days): $12,800 (+$450 per person)
KIN INONGO (2days): $8,154 (+$450 per person )
KIN YUMBI (2days) : $5,670 (+$450 per person )
KIN MUSHIE (1 day): $3,364 (+350 per person )
KIN MAYI-NDOMBE (1day): $3,600 (+$350 per person)
KIN KWAMOUTH (1day): $2,530 (+$250 per person)
Another mid-sized private boat can move between Kinshasa and Brazzaville and the rivers of both countries fluidly.
The rental for one day is around for example $ 1,500 (from morning to evening) on the large boat here – which is great for visiting delegations or groups –
For the Kinshasa to Kisangani on a mid-sized boat, it will take you 8 to 9 days of travel and about $10-20,000 USD. There is nowhere to sleep on the boat and no cooking facilities. You have to pay those separately.
(All Prices are subject to change until the time of booking and you must confirm with us. Until paid, NO rates are guaranteed and can change. Boats are also scheduled for maintenance and can be out of service or booked some times of the year. You are never able to be assured any excess of the declared value of the cargo. If your cargo costs $100 and gets lost, as per your paperwork and required agreement and disclosure, you will never under any circumstances get $101. We can add additional security forces where it requested or advised.)