A strategic port, an emerging trade corridor, and a coastline at the centre of Red Sea competition

Somaliland’s geopolitical influence begins with geography. Its coastline runs along the Gulf of Aden, near the approaches to the Bab el-Mandeb Strait—the narrow passage connecting the Indian Ocean to the Red Sea and the Suez Canal. When shipping in this corridor is disrupted, the effects travel quickly through global supply chains. That makes stable ports on the southern side of the waterway commercially valuable and strategically attractive.

Berbera’s Transformation

The Port of Berbera is the clearest expression of Somaliland’s growing importance. Once a modest regional facility, it has been modernized through a partnership with DP World. The first expansion phase raised annual container capacity from about 150,000 to 500,000 TEUs, added a 400-metre quay extension, and provided deep-water access for vessels drawing up to seventeen metres. Those upgrades allow Berbera to handle larger ships and a wider range of container, bulk, livestock, and refrigerated cargo.

Operational performance matters as much as physical capacity. Recent assessments report that average vessel turnaround fell from 64 hours in 2018 to about 25 hours in 2024. Faster........

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