From any port in the world to Port Sudan, then onward to Khartoum, Omdurman, Wad Madani, Kosti, El Obeid, Gedaref, Nyala and Atbara. Containers, consolidation, project and heavy-lift cargo, air freight, charter and ship brokering — handled end to end, with a complete customs file including the ACD.
The first question in any Sudan shipment is simple: which gateway is actually working? The assessment below is based on publicly reported information and is updated regularly. Always obtain confirmation before loading.
The country's principal seaport, handling roughly 90% of Sudan's foreign trade. Transshipment operations resumed in mid-2026 after a prolonged suspension, the terminal received large-capacity container vessels for the first time, and in June 2026 it handled over 26,000 TEU across 30 ship calls. Berth depth and overall capacity nonetheless remain structural bottlenecks.
Became the country's de facto international air gateway during the conflict and continues to grow as a regional hub. It is our primary routing for air freight, urgent spares and humanitarian cargo.
Reopened to scheduled domestic flights in February 2026 and to international traffic in April 2026, with a three-times-weekly Cairo–Khartoum service running from July 2026. Fuel availability and after-dark operating restrictions apply periodically, so we confirm feasibility per shipment.
The paved Port Sudan–Atbara–Khartoum corridor is the backbone of inland distribution. Corridor-based solutions are offered towards Egypt (Wadi Halfa / Argeen), Chad, Eritrea, Ethiopia and South Sudan.
We build the entire chain for a single shipment — from chartering the vessel to closing the customs file. A dedicated operations team per mode, one point of contact for you.
20'DV, 40'DV, 40'HC, 45'HC and special equipment to Port Sudan.
Weekly groupage service for cargo below a full container.
Transformers, generators, cranes, complete plants and out-of-gauge equipment.
Cars, commercial vehicles, trucks, tractors and construction equipment.
Air cargo via Istanbul, Dubai, Cairo, Jeddah and Addis Ababa.
Full aircraft charter for time-critical, humanitarian and project cargo.
Tonnage for bulk, general cargo and multipurpose vessels.
Classification, packing, labelling and declaration in full compliance.
Export file at origin and import clearance in Sudan.
Road distribution from Port Sudan nationwide.
Bonded handling at origin and destination.
Cargo insurance and war-risk assessment.
Every industry's cargo behaves differently: one is constrained by weight, another by volume, another by temperature, another by regulation. Across the sixteen verticals below we work with operational knowledge specific to Sudan — from packing to declaration, from stowage plan to site delivery.
Heavy, bulky and damage-sensitive cargo; the stowage plan drives cost as much as the freight rate.
Roads, bridges, dams and municipal works bring wide line-item variety and tight deadlines.
For high unit-weight and out-of-gauge equipment, survey and lashing are standard procedure.
Panel fragility and lithium battery declaration are two separate disciplines.
Sudan's goldfields and the Merowe region generate continuous equipment demand.
For pipe and OCTG cargo, end protection and flat rack planning are critical.
The Gezira, Gedaref and White Nile lanes create seasonal peaks.
Shelf life, GMO declaration and SSMO conformity run ahead of the shipping schedule.
Unbroken cold chain and shelf-life requirements are managed in one file.
Donor reporting, exemption letters and speed are all required at once.
For used units, chassis and engine declaration plus ACD compliance unlock the file.
High-volume, low-density cargo; flat-pack goods cut cost per cubic metre substantially.
Volume and moisture management; hanging and cartoned cargo are planned separately.
Without a TPRA import permit, the customs process does not begin.
Get the classification or packing group wrong and the cargo stays in port.
Pumps, pipes and tank sets usually arrive as one project.
For Sudanese families in the United Kingdom, the Gulf, Egypt and Turkey: household goods, personal effects and gift consignments. Door collection, packing, declaration and in-city delivery beyond Port Sudan all included.
Bringing cargo into Sudan is half the job; the return leg decides the economics. Sudan supplies the majority of the world's gum arabic and is a significant exporter of sesame, livestock, gold and oilseeds. On the commodities below we handle the export file, survey and certification.
| Commodity | Source Region | Shipping Method | Key Consideration |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gum arabic | El Obeid, North Kordofan | Container — bagged / bulk | Origin and quality survey; moisture control |
| Sesame seed | Gedaref, Sennar | Container — big bag / bags | Non-GMO and quality certificate; fumigation |
| Groundnuts | Nyala, Kordofan | Container | Aflatoxin analysis and survey report |
| Livestock | Kordofan, Darfur | Dedicated vessel / air | Veterinary certificate, quarantine, welfare conditions |
| Gold and precious metals | Merowe, Northern, Darfur | Secured air freight | Declaration, permits and competent authority approval |
| Cotton and yarn | Gezira, Wad Madani | Container — baled | Moisture and bale compression; fire risk |
| Sorghum and grains | Gedaref, Sennar | Bulk vessel / container | Weight verification, silo and loading plan |
| Hibiscus (karkade) and senna | Kordofan, Darfur | Container | Phytosanitary certificate, dryness level |
| Watermelon seed and oilseeds | Kordofan | Container | Impurity ratio and sieving report |
| Hides and raw skins | Omdurman, Kosti | Container — salted | Odour and leakage prevention, IMDG assessment |
| Chrome and mineral ores | Red Sea, South Kordofan | Bulk vessel | Transportable moisture limit (TML) and IMSBC compliance |
| Dates and dried fruit | Dongola, Northern | Container / reefer | Harvest season planning, pest control |
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Times below are port-to-port and indicative, not door-to-door; they vary by service, transshipment hub and season. Binding transit times are confirmed with the quotation.
| Loading Region | Ports of Departure | Arrival | Indicative Transit | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Turkey | Mersin, Istanbul (Ambarli), Izmir | Port Sudan | 18–28 days | via Jeddah or Jebel Ali transshipment |
| China | Shanghai, Ningbo, Shenzhen, Qingdao | Port Sudan | 35–37 days | busiest lane, weekly service |
| UAE / Gulf | Jebel Ali, Sharjah, Dammam | Port Sudan | 7–14 days | short transit, fast transshipment |
| Saudi Arabia | Jeddah, Yanbu | Port Sudan | 2–5 days | opposite Red Sea shore; fastest option |
| North Europe | Hamburg, Rotterdam, Antwerp | Port Sudan | 28–38 days | via Suez with transshipment |
| United Kingdom | Felixstowe, Southampton | Port Sudan | 30–40 days | suited to diaspora household moves |
| India | Nhava Sheva, Mundra | Port Sudan | 18–25 days | pharmaceuticals, textiles, chemicals |
| Egypt | Suez, Alexandria | Port Sudan | 5–10 days | overland corridor alternative available |
| Russia / Black Sea | Novorossiysk, St. Petersburg | Port Sudan | 25–35 days | grain, steel and fertiliser lanes |
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Sudan is not a single market. Every state has its own production, its own needs and its own logistics profile. Delivering cargo to the right city by the right mode decides half the landed cost.
| City | State / Region | Inbound–Outbound Cargo Profile |
|---|---|---|
| Port Sudan | Red Sea | The main maritime gateway: containers, bulk cargo, oil terminal and fisheries. Entry point for virtually all imports. |
| Khartoum | Khartoum | The capital: the demand centre for construction materials, furniture, appliances, generators, pharmaceuticals and consumer goods. |
| Omdurman | Khartoum | The largest urban settlement: wholesale trade, crafts, foodstuffs and retail supply chains. |
| Bahri (Khartoum North) | Khartoum | The industrial district: machinery, spare parts, raw materials and packaging. |
| Wad Madani | Gezira | Centre of the Gezira irrigation scheme: cotton, agricultural machinery, fertiliser and irrigation equipment. |
| Kosti | White Nile | River port and sugar hub (Kenana, White Nile Sugar); transit gateway towards South Sudan. |
| El Obeid | North Kordofan | The heart of the global gum arabic trade; collection point for sesame and groundnuts. |
| Gedaref | Gedaref | Sesame and sorghum capital: agricultural machinery inbound, sesame and oilseeds outbound. |
| Kassala | Kassala | Cross-border trade with Eritrea: fruit, vegetables and overland flows. |
| Atbara | River Nile | Railway junction and cement production; a pivotal point on the inland corridor. |
| Dongola | Northern | Dates, wheat and gold mining; the closest hub to the Egyptian land corridor. |
| Merowe | Northern | Merowe Dam and goldfields: energy and mining equipment. |
| Nyala | South Darfur | Livestock and groundnuts; supplied by long-haul road and air cargo. |
| Sennar | Sennar | Sugar and sorghum: agro-industrial equipment. |
| Ad-Damazin | Blue Nile | Roseires Dam region: energy, agriculture and infrastructure projects. |
| Wadi Halfa | Northern | Egyptian border crossing and ferry link; entry point of the overland corridor. |
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Moving cargo into Sudan takes knowledge of the country itself: from the Red Sea coast to the capital where the two Niles meet, from the Nubian pyramids to the savannah woodlands, geography shapes the operation directly. The images below are original illustrations.
Since 1 January 2026, an Advance Cargo Declaration (ACD) is mandatory for every shipment bound for Sudan. This is the single most important item on this page: without an ACD number, cargo may not be loaded at the port of origin at all.
Yes. Port Sudan is the country's principal seaport and handles roughly 90% of its foreign trade. Transshipment operations resumed in mid-2026, the terminal received large-capacity container vessels for the first time, and in June 2026 it handled over 26,000 TEU across 30 ship calls. Berth depth and capacity constraints nevertheless persist, so we obtain current service confirmation for every shipment.
Yes, it has been mandatory since 1 January 2026, with no exceptions. The ACD number must be obtained before loading at the origin port and must appear on the final Bill of Lading. Without it, cargo may be refused loading, or face significant delays and fines at destination.
Containers from Mersin or Istanbul typically reach Port Sudan in 18–28 days. The transit depends on the transshipment hub — usually Jeddah or Jebel Ali — and on service frequency. A binding transit time is confirmed with the quotation.
From the main Chinese ports to Port Sudan, transit generally runs 35–37 days. Rate levels shift from period to period, and we provide the current level at the time of enquiry.
Use our LCL consolidation service. Even a single pallet is accepted, and pricing is transparent on a CBM or W/M basis. Consolidation runs through Mersin, Istanbul, Jeddah and Jebel Ali.
It is, subject to conditions. Khartoum airport reopened to domestic flights in February 2026 and to international traffic in April 2026, with a three-times-weekly Cairo–Khartoum service from July 2026. Because fuel and after-dark operating restrictions apply periodically, in practice we plan most air cargo via Port Sudan (PZU).
Yes. We offer Open Top and Flat Rack containers, breakbulk, heavy-lift and MPP vessel chartering. For transformers, generators, cranes and complete plants, a loading study, lashing plan and survey report are run as standard.
Yes. For time-critical, humanitarian and project cargo we source IL-76, AN-124 and B747F capacity. Slots, overflight clearances and landing permits are handled on our side.
Yes. Inland distribution runs along the paved Port Sudan–Atbara–Khartoum corridor, and we also deliver to Wad Madani, Kosti, El Obeid, Gedaref and Nyala. A proof-of-delivery photo and signed waybill are shared as standard.
Yes, we work on the export side as well. Gum arabic originates from El Obeid and North Kordofan, while sesame comes mainly from Gedaref and Sennar. We handle the certificate of origin, non-GMO and quality certificates, survey report, fumigation and moisture control.
Yes. We move household goods from Felixstowe or Southampton in dedicated or shared containers. Door collection in London, Manchester and Birmingham, packing, an inventory list and in-city delivery beyond Port Sudan are all included.
Yes, but telecommunications equipment requires a TPRA import permit, and the customs process does not begin without it. We run the permit file, the technical specification list and the customs declaration in parallel.
Yes. We handle classification, packing, labelling and declaration under IMDG (sea), ADR (road) and IATA DGR (air). MSDS and DGD preparation, limited quantity handling and special permits form part of the service.
Yes. Cargo insurance is arranged on all-risk terms together with war and strikes clauses. As Sudan is an active conflict environment, routing, delivery point and risk premium are assessed individually for each shipment.
Complete the form and our operations team will prepare routing, mode and binding price options for your cargo. For urgent shipments, message us directly on WhatsApp.