Bunkering boom hits Namibia

Geopolitical turmoil in the Middle East has handed Namibia’s ports a significant opportunity. 

Shipping lines rerouting around Africa’s Cape of Good Hope to avoid Houthi attacks in the Red Sea and ongoing tensions in the Strait of Hormuz have brought increased vessel traffic to Walvis Bay and Lüderitz, hubs that were previously underutilised.

Simonis Storm highlighted the shift after the Namibia Statistics Agency released its latest trade statistics. The compounding effects on global logistics are now unmistakable, carriers are avoiding both the Red Sea and Persian Gulf routes, adding weeks to transit times and sharply raising costs, while redirecting ships directly along Namibia’s coastline.

“Walvis Bay and Lüderitz are already capturing tangible gains from this rerouting,” Simonis Storm said. Ship-refueling (bunkering) companies along Africa’s coast are seeing a surge in business, with Namibia’s ports at the centre of the change. Dubai-based Flex Commodities launched physical bunkering operations at both ports in late 2025, specifically targeting the growing volume of Cape-rerouted traffic.

South Africa, by contrast, experienced a 38% decline in bunkering volumes between 2023 and 2024, dropping from approximately 130,000 tonnes per month to around 80,000 tonnes, largely due to regulatory constraints. Much of that business has migrated to Walvis Bay and Port Louis in Mauritius.

Increased Capacity at Walvis Bay

Namibia’s emergence as a bunkering and logistics hub has been strengthened by infrastructure upgrades.

The Namibian Ports Authority (Namport) completed deepening of the Walvis Bay entrance channel from 14 metres to 16.5 metres in mid-2025. This upgrade now allows the port to handle larger vessels that were previously called at South Africa’s eastern ports, Simonis Storm noted.

In a further boost, Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC), the world’s largest container shipping line, designated Walvis Bay as its transshipment hub for the Southern Africa West Coast in January 2025. 

The move added direct services linking North Europe, Namibia, South Africa, and East African ports.Lüderitz Emerges as Oil and Gas Logistics HubFurther south, Lüderitz is carving out its own strategic role. 

The port is being positioned as a key logistics base for offshore oil and gas operations in the Orange Basin, with plans for a dedicated supply base. With multiple final investment decisions expected by the end of 2026 and first oil from the Orange Basin targeted for 2029, the convergence of geopolitical rerouting and Namibia’s domestic energy developments is creating a structural uplift for the country’s port sector