Sierra Leone Launches SLOSCO, National Shipping Line with Chinese Backing

Sierra Leone has launched the Sierra Leone Ocean Shipping Company (SLOSCO), a new national shipping line inaugurated by President Julius Maada Bio at the Queen Elizabeth II Quay in Freetown. The company is 70% controlled by China's Zhejiang Xiehai group, while the remaining 30% is held by the state-owned Sierra Leone National Shipping Agency (SLNSA).

SLOSCO plans to build a fleet of 50 vessels, with an initial phase of 30 units aimed at dry bulk, liquid bulk and other cargo segments, targeting in particular the country's iron ore and bauxite exports as well as imports of fuel, grain and other essential goods. According to the company's website, its fleet section currently lists 54 vessels: 15 Capesize, 10 Kamsarmax/Panamax, 25 Handysize/Ultramax, two feeder container ships and two chemical tankers, though it is not specified whether all these units are owned directly by SLOSCO or include tonnage available through its partner network.

SLOSCO's creation is part of a broader reform of Sierra Leone's shipping sector, which last year transformed the historic Sierra Leone National Shipping Company (SLNSC), founded in 1972, into the current SLNSA. The legislation in force designates the state agency as the country's sole national carrier and empowers it to handle, at its discretion, up to 40% of the total value of cargo imported and exported by the country. The joint venture agreement with Zhejiang Xiehai was signed in July and ratified by Parliament on August 4.

SLOSCO is headed by CEO Sui Xiao and by Laurent Debart, a former BRS Shipbrokers executive, as chief operating officer, with offices in Freetown, Shanghai and Geneva. President Bio stated that for too long the country had depended on international carriers to export and import its goods, and that this marks a bold step toward giving Sierra Leone a greater stake in the shipping of the goods it trades with the world. For his part, Zhejiang Xiehai chairman Wang An said the Chinese group would support local employment, training and improvements in shipping management.

SLOSCO will make use of the direct route between the port of Taizhou, China, and the Queen Elizabeth II Quay in Freetown, operated by Zhejiang Xiehai since December 2025. The Chinese group, founded in 2013 and headquartered in Linhai, Zhejiang province, is engaged in domestic and international shipping, ship management, vessel leasing and the administration of maritime supply chains. The initiative adds to the expansion of Chinese shipping interests in West Africa, as Freetown seeks to retain a larger share of the freight revenue generated by its international trade.