Rehabilitation of the Navigation Route from Khartoum to Juba (White Nile and Bahr El Jebel)

The White Nile River has been the source of life for communities along its banks since ancient times, and it remains an economic lifeline for the people of South Sudan today. The assessment is intended to lead to a full river barge transportation system, i.e. including all elements necessary for successful river transport operation. The elements include ensuring navigable river reaches through dredging, improving accessibility and security through setting up of navigation aids, improving cargo handling through port improvements and if necessary improving transport capacity through additional barge capacity.

The resumption of river transport from Kosti is important. Kosti remains an important transport hub, with operational rail lines to Wad Madani and Port Sudan via Khartoum, and west to the refinery near El Obeid and good road connections from Kosti to Khartoum, Port Sudan and El Obeid. Rail/river transport transhipment facilities at Kosti were reported to be poor in 2004 (principally because of the distance from rail to dockside). There are good road connections from Kosti to Khartoum, Port Sudan and El Obeid. Fuel supplies (gasoline and diesel) are available both at Kosti and in the industrial city of Rabak on the right bank of the White Nile River. There are unconfirmed reports of a cement works in Rabak. 37 In 2011, i.e. just before formal north-south transport links were broken, imports through Kosti into South Sudan were 187,000t by all modes. This tonnage was entirely food, predominantly grain (60 percent), groundnuts (20 percent) and sugar (15 percent). Thus, Kosti provides alternative logistics channels for imports and (it is hoped) exports and access to Sudanese supplies of food and building materials. It is likely (though not certain) that logistics costs via Kosti to Malakal, Renk and Bentiu would be lower than those via Juba and East Africa, but in any event more competition in the South Sudanese haulage market is greatly to be welcomed.

Significant changes in the regional transport network have taken place since the heyday of barge transport on the southern reach of the White Nile River in the early 1980s. First, the status of Kosti. Kosti remains a significant transport hub, though of less significance since almost all river traffic ceased, first in 1984 and again in 2012. From Kosti there are rail lines east to Port Sudan, north to Wad Madani and Khartoum, and west to Nyala and Wau, although the only operational section is from the refinery near El Obeid via Kosti, Sennar and Wad Madani to Khartoum. 3 Rail/river transport transshipment facilities at Kosti were reported to be poor in 2004 (principally because of the distance from rail to dockside). There are good road connections from Kosti to Khartoum, Port Sudan and El Obeid. Navigation north of Kosti is impeded by the ship locks at Jebel Aulia dam, approximately 50km south Khartoum. The lock at Jebel Aulia cannot accommodate a four-barge train, which means that barge trains have to be broken up in order to pass through them.

The White Nile River has been the source of life for communities along its banks since ancient times, and it remains an economic lifeline for the people of South Sudan today. The assessment is intended to lead to a full river barge transportation system, i.e. including all elements necessary for successful river transport operation. The elements include ensuring navigable river reaches through dredging, improving accessibility and security through setting up of navigation aids, improving cargo handling through port improvements and if necessary improving transport capacity through additional barge capacity.

The resumption of river transport from Kosti is important. Kosti remains an important transport hub, with operational rail lines to Wad Madani and Port Sudan via Khartoum, and west to the refinery near El Obeid and good road connections from Kosti to Khartoum, Port Sudan and El Obeid. Rail/river transport transhipment facilities at Kosti were reported to be poor in 2004 (principally because of the distance from rail to dockside). There are good road connections from Kosti to Khartoum, Port Sudan and El Obeid. Fuel supplies (gasoline and diesel) are available both at Kosti and in the industrial city of Rabak on the right bank of the White Nile River. There are unconfirmed reports of a cement works in Rabak. 37 In 2011, i.e. just before formal north-south transport links were broken, imports through Kosti into South Sudan were 187,000t by all modes. This tonnage was entirely food, predominantly grain (60 percent), groundnuts (20 percent) and sugar (15 percent). Thus, Kosti provides alternative logistics channels for imports and (it is hoped) exports and access to Sudanese supplies of food and building materials. It is likely (though not certain) that logistics costs via Kosti to Malakal, Renk and Bentiu would be lower than those via Juba and East Africa, but in any event more competition in the South Sudanese haulage market is greatly to be welcomed.

Significant changes in the regional transport network have taken place since the heyday of barge transport on the southern reach of the White Nile River in the early 1980s. First, the status of Kosti. Kosti remains a significant transport hub, though of less significance since almost all river traffic ceased, first in 1984 and again in 2012. From Kosti there are rail lines east to Port Sudan, north to Wad Madani and Khartoum, and west to Nyala and Wau, although the only operational section is from the refinery near El Obeid via Kosti, Sennar and Wad Madani to Khartoum. 3 Rail/river transport transshipment facilities at Kosti were reported to be poor in 2004 (principally because of the distance from rail to dockside). There are good road connections from Kosti to Khartoum, Port Sudan and El Obeid. Navigation north of Kosti is impeded by the ship locks at Jebel Aulia dam, approximately 50km south Khartoum. The lock at Jebel Aulia cannot accommodate a four-barge train, which means that barge trains have to be broken up in order to pass through them.