Ida Nel arrived in Mayotte in 1979. The island, as she recalls, only had three cars back then. She had left South Africa with her husband and then youngest child to go on a long sailing trip to discover the East coast of Africa and its islands. They moored in Mayotte, and she has been there ever since.
Little did she know that 40 years later she’d be at the helm of Mayotte Channel Gateway (MCG), a company operating the country’s commercial port, overseeing 40% growth over the past five years in terms of traffic and cargo that it handles.
The port was exclusively focused on the needs of Mayotte island. The question is now to give it the means to position itself as a reference in the market of the regional maritime traffic
Mayotte is actually a French overseas territory. As such it follows French law and has to adhere to European standards and regulation, something which Ida Nel says adds a level of comfort to international shipping companies and also multinationals
Since the end of 2013, many operations have been carried out and the investments have been very important. Today, MCG has doubled the capacity of logistics platforms, equipped he main dock with cranes, created a real fleet of new handling machines… enough to triple the capacity of the port 5 years ago when MCG became its administrator.
Within our port, Ida Nel says, we’ve got three mobile harbor cranes that can lift up to 124 tons, and we’re going to bring in another crane of 250 tons to be able to handle heavier, so we are very well positioned to handle the cargo needs for the region.
The port’s main client today is the international shipping group CMA-CGM, which principally uses the port for trans-shipment activities, that is to say as a hub to receive cargo in bulk before redistributing these goods to neighboring countries in the vicinity –Madagascar, Comoros as well as Kenya and Mozambique. It is the opportunity for the port, for the pole of activity which develop in its perimeter and therefore for Mayotte, 101 department of France and European region, to turn to its natural partners in the Mozambique channel of Mozambique
The island also has a first-class hospital with modern facilities, which again provides peace of mind from companies operating there. Given that other ports on the East Coast and neighboring islands are congested, and its natural deep port facilities within a lagoon, she feels they are perfectly placed to service the subregion
With the advent of the oil and gas developments that are about to take place in the country following the massive gas finds, Ida Nel is confident that the Port of Longoni, as it is officially known, offers the ideal location through which to service the oil and gas sector in Mozambique, both on and offshore, especially as the north of the country currently lacks the infrastructure to receive and handle such a big undertaking.
MAYOTTE CHANNEL GATEWAY was created in 2013 to ensure the missions and objectives of the Public Service Delegation for which it was designated as the delegatee at the end of the competition organized by the Departmental Council of Mayotte.
As such, it is the only French commercial port whose management and operation are entrusted to a private company.
Mayotte chanel gateway S.A.S.
- Chairman: Mrs Ida NEL
- Vice Chairman: Mr. Johan NEL
- Status: Simplified joint stock company
- Share Capital: 2 000 000 €
- Address:
BP 553 Kawéni Port de Longoni
97600 MAMOUDZOU - Siret: 795 032 325 00016
- APE Code: 5224 A
- Number of employees 2019: 87
DSP / DELEGATION OF PUBLIC SERVICE
- Concessionaire: Mayotte Channel Gateway
- Duration: 15 years
- Date of signature of the agreement: July 3, 2013
- Effective date: November 1, 2013
- Planned investments: €104,000 million
- Port area: 61 hectares
- Terminals: 3
- Former concessionaire: CCI de Mayotte
NETWORKS
MCG is a member of the Union des Ports de France (UPM) and the Fédération de l’outre -mer (FEDOM)
FEDOM
Association composed of employers’ organizations present in all the overseas communities.
See the websiteOrganization
MCG personel 2020 : 89
Affiliated company port staffAffiliated company port staff : : 120
PRESIDENCY
Ms. Ida NEL
VICE PRESIDENCY
Mr Johan NEL
DIRECTOR FOR DEVELOPMENT AND COMMUNICATION
Vincent LIETAR
SENIOR MANAGEMENT
Mrs. Stella Bagot
Mrs .Yolaine Gravier
Mr. Freddy Novou
Mr. Jean-Luc Robert
PRESIDENCY ASSISTANCE
3 persons
MANAGEMENT
- Maritime construction Manager
- Tourist Project Manager
- Account Manager
- Human and Personnel manager
- Workshop et Equipment Manager
- General Maintenance
EXTERNAL SERVICE
- Port Security and Safety Services
- Tug boat Services
- Chief accountant
- Auditors