SCDP Expands Fuel Storage and Import Capacity in Douala

Cameroon’s state-owned petroleum storage company SCDP is expanding fuel and liquefied petroleum gas storage and import-handling capacity in Douala, as the country remains heavily dependent on imported refined products following the shutdown of the SONARA refinery. The company officially inaugurated several facilities on August 21, including a 1,000-ton LPG storage sphere at its Bonabéri depot and a pipeline linking petroleum facilities at the Port of Douala to its Bessengué depot. The ceremony also included SCDP’s new head office in Bonanjo.

The LPG sphere increased storage capacity at Bonabéri from 2,500 tons to 3,500 tons, a 40% increase. The facility had been delivered in November 2024 and entered service in February 2025 after completing regulatory tests. The additional capacity is intended to give SCDP more flexibility in managing LPG supplies as domestic consumption rises. The expansion also comes as Cameroon continues to rely heavily on imported refined petroleum products following the May 2019 fire that halted refining operations at SONARA.

SCDP is already working on an additional 1,000-ton LPG sphere at Bonabéri. Once completed, it would increase the depot’s storage capacity to 4,500 tons. The company’s broader expansion plans envisage further LPG capacity at the site. Water and Energy Minister Gaston Eloundou Essomba said the investments were part of efforts to move Cameroon toward a more resilient petroleum supply system based on greater storage and improved logistics rather than short-term management of supply needs.

Pipeline Expands Douala Import Capacity

The second major investment is a roughly four-kilometer, 10-inch pipeline connecting petroleum facilities at the Port of Douala to SCDP’s Bessengué depot. The pipeline, which has been in service since October 2023, has increased monthly petroleum handling capacity from about 210,000 cubic meters to nearly 345,000 cubic meters.

That increase allows SCDP to handle an estimated 23 vessels per month, compared with about 14 previously. The additional transfer capacity is also expected to reduce vessel turnaround times and related waiting charges while easing pressure on existing reception infrastructure during periods of higher demand. The investment has become more important since SONARA stopped refining petroleum products in 2019, leaving Cameroon more dependent on imported fuels and increasing the importance of port reception, storage and inland distribution infrastructure.

Further Storage Expansion Planned

SCDP is also increasing storage capacity outside Douala. At Bélabo, a new 5,000-cubic-meter diesel tank has increased diesel storage capacity from 3,000 to 8,000 cubic meters. Additional storage infrastructure is also under development at Ngaoundéré to strengthen supplies to northern Cameroon.

At Bonabéri, the company plans to further expand LPG storage and truck-loading capacity as part of efforts to develop the depot into a larger distribution hub. Its longer-term investment program also includes the planned Kribi petroleum terminal in the industrial-port area. The first phase is expected to provide about 140,000 cubic meters of storage capacity for liquid petroleum products, alongside 12,000 tons of LPG capacity.

The broader Kribi project is expected to eventually provide up to 280,000 cubic meters of storage for refined petroleum products, further expanding Cameroon’s capacity to receive and distribute imported fuels.

Mercy Fosoh