Sierra Leone has launched a new national shipping company in Freetown, with China’s Zhejiang Xiehai Group holding a 70% stake, according to the Sierra Leone Ports and Harbours Authority.
President Julius Maada Bio commissioned Sierra Leone Ocean Shipping Company, or SLOSCO, at Queen Elizabeth II Quay on 19 October. The Sierra Leone National Shipping Agency, or SLNSA, holds the remaining 30% stake.
“For far too long, we have relied on international carriers to export and import our products. Today, we’re taking a bold step forward, giving Sierra Leone a greater stake in transporting the goods we trade with the world,” Bio said.
Zhejiang Xiehai president Wang An said the Chinese group would support local employment, skills development and improvements in shipping management capacity.
The joint-venture agreement was signed in July and ratified by Sierra Leone’s parliament on 4 August. Legislation governing SLNSA gives the agency the status of Sierra Leone’s sole national carrier and allows it, at its discretion, to transport 40% of the total value of cargo imported into and exported from the country, including unitised, dry-bulk and liquid-bulk cargo.
SLOSCO’s website lists 54 ships across its fleet section: 15 Capesize vessels, 10 Kamsarmax/Panamax ships, 25 Handysize/Ultramax vessels, two feeder containerships and two chemical tankers. The website does not state whether all 54 ships are directly owned by SLOSCO or include capacity available through its partner network.
SLOSCO is headquartered in Freetown and provides commercial and operational shipping services for dry bulk, oil and project cargo. It also lists offices in Shanghai and Geneva, with Sui Xiao as chief executive and Laurent Debart as chief operating officer.
Zhejiang Xiehai Group was established in 2013 and is headquartered in Linhai, Zhejiang province, China. Its activities include domestic and international shipping, ship management, vessel leasing and shipping supply-chain management. The group launched a direct route between Taizhou Port in China and Freetown in December 2025. SLNSA traces its origins to the former Sierra Leone National Shipping Company, established in 1972 and transformed into the Sierra Leone National Shipping Agency under legislation adopted in 2025.
