Trade and ports
Port of Bosaso (Dekada Boosaaso)
Bosaso, on the Gulf of Aden, is Puntland's main seaport and one of Somalia's two main ports for live animal exports. P&O Ports, part of DP World of Dubai, took over its management in October 2017 under a 30-year, $336 million concession, and DP World signed a further upgrade contract in December 2022. Puntland raised $100 million of its own revenue in 2025, the highest of the federal member states.
The short version
Bosaso is the commercial city of Puntland, on the Gulf of Aden, and its port is Puntland's main gateway for trade (Dawan Africa, 19 July 2026). The federal Ministry of Commerce and Industry names Bosaso as one of Somalia's four main ports, with Mogadishu, Berbera and Kismayo, and says all four face "capacity limitations and outdated facilities" (Ministry of Commerce and Industry, National Export Development and Promotion Strategy). For all four ports, see Somalia's seaports.
The P&O Ports concession
- April 2017: Puntland's president, Abdiweli Mohamed Ali "Gaas", signed a 30-year concession in Dubai with P&O Ports, part of DP World, reported to be worth $336 million (Garowe Online, 12 October 2017). The investment was split into $136 million for a first phase and $200 million for a second (Seatrade Maritime).
- Plans: a 450-metre quay, a 5-hectare back-up area, and dredging to 12 metres. Local traders said sand on the shore was keeping large container ships out of the narrow channel (Garowe Online, 12 October 2017).
- 12 October 2017: Puntland handed the port over to P&O Ports at a ceremony in Bosaso (same source).
- 4 February 2019: Paul Anthony Fermosa, head of P&O Ports at Bosaso, was shot dead near the port. Al-Shabaab said it carried out the attack (Garowe Online, 4 February 2019).
The 2022 upgrade contract
On 9 December 2022 DP World and the Puntland government signed a construction agreement for a new pier of about 150 metres (500 feet), repairs to the existing quay of about 215 metres (700 feet), a container yard of about 3,000 square metres and a container stripping yard of about 4,000 square metres. The work was planned to take 12 months from early 2023 (Maritime Executive, 9 December 2022). Bloomberg reported in August 2023 that DP World expected to finish the expansion by the end of that year (Bloomberg, 17 August 2023).
Livestock and shipping costs
The Ministry of Commerce and Industry says Berbera and Bosaso are "the primary live animal export points", with livestock yards and loading equipment, but that their expansion has not kept pace with export growth (National Export Development and Promotion Strategy). See Livestock exports.
The same strategy lists shipping prices quoted by Maersk:
| Route | 20-foot container | 40-foot container | Days at sea |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bosaso to Jebel Ali (UAE) | $1,500 | $5,000 | 6 to 8 |
| Bosaso to Jeddah (Saudi Arabia) | $750 | $1,000 | 2 to 3 |
| Mogadishu to Jebel Ali (UAE) | $1,000 | $1,500 | 8 to 9 |
Puntland's revenue
In 2025 Puntland had total revenue and grants of $119 million, the highest of the federal member states. Of this, $100 million was its own revenue, $83 million of it from taxes, and $19 million came from external grants (Central Bank of Somalia, Annual Report 2025). The Central Bank collects trade data by product for the ports of Mogadishu, Bosaso and Kismayo every quarter (same source). See Money of the federal member states.
The 2026 disputes
- January: the federal government cancelled all its agreements with the United Arab Emirates, including port arrangements at Bosaso (Al Jazeera, 12 January 2026). Puntland, with Somaliland and Jubaland, rejected the decision (The New Arab, 13 January 2026).
- July: traders objected to new service charges at the port, saying they would raise import costs. On 18 July 2026 the Puntland government, business representatives and DP World announced an agreement to end the dispute. The terms were not published (Dawan Africa, 19 July 2026).
Sources disagree
- Cost of the expansion. The 2017 concession was reported at $336 million (Garowe Online); Bloomberg's 2023 report gave $366 million (Bloomberg).
- Who ran the port in 2019. Garowe Online described Paul Anthony Fermosa both as head of P&O Ports and as director of DP World at Bosaso (Garowe Online, 4 February 2019). P&O Ports is part of DP World.
- Completion. No report found as of 12 November 2026 confirms when the 2022 to 2023 works were finished.
For the trade route from Bosaso south to Galkayo, see Galkayo and the Bosaso trade corridor.
Sources
- Dawan Africa, 19 July 2026 · dawan.africa
- Ministry of Commerce and Industry, National Export Development and Promotion Strategy · moci.gov.so
- Garowe Online, 12 October 2017 · garoweonline.com
- Seatrade Maritime · seatrade-maritime.com
- Garowe Online, 4 February 2019 · garoweonline.com
- Maritime Executive, 9 December 2022 · maritime-executive.com
- Bloomberg, 17 August 2023 · bloomberg.com
- Central Bank of Somalia, Annual Report 2025 · centralbank.gov.so
- Al Jazeera, 12 January 2026 · aljazeera.com
- The New Arab, 13 January 2026 · newarab.com
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Keep reading
- Foreign companies in Somalia: who runs the port, the airport and other concessionsForeign companies working in Somalia: Albayrak at Mogadishu port, Favori at the airport, DP World and P&O Ports, Simatech, Ziraat Katilim, with contract terms and audited revenue.
- Galkayo and the Bosaso trade corridor: goods, companies and road taxesHow goods move from Bosaso port through Galkayo to central Somalia: what is traded, which companies import it, what each state charges per lorry and how much revenue the checkpoints raise.
- Trade across the Ethiopia–Somaliland border: Tog Wajaale, Jigjiga and the Gaashamo routesHow goods and livestock cross between Ethiopia's Somali Region and Somaliland: what moves, the Tog Wajaale crossing, customs posts since 2010, the Gaashamo micro-routes and what each checkpoint charges.
- Somalia's trade: exports and importsWhat Somalia exports and imports, in numbers: livestock, crops, fish, food and fuel imports, the trade gap, and trade blocs Somalia has joined.
- Livestock exports: Somalia's biggest earnerSomalia's livestock exports in numbers: value and head counts by year, the animals, the buyers, Berbera and Bosaso, the Hajj season, the Rift Valley fever bans, and meat and skins.
- Somalia's seaports: Mogadishu, Berbera, Bosaso and KismayoSomalia's main seaports: who runs Mogadishu, Berbera, Bosaso and Kismayo, the operator deals, the undersea cables that land there, and the 2026 dispute over UAE agreements.