Three 310-ton engines and two 70-ton transformers delivered from Europe and Asia to Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso

SevenLog has successfully completed a series of complex project cargo operations supporting the expansion of the Komsilga II Power Plant in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, delivering five major pieces of energy infrastructure from international origins to the project site.

The logistics operation involved the transportation of three 310-ton engines from Saint-Nazaire, France, to Takoradi Port in Ghana, followed by their onward movement by road to Burkina Faso. The project was subsequently extended to include the transportation of two 70-ton transformers from Shanghai, China, via Tema Port in Ghana, to the Komsilga II site in Ouagadougou.

The successful completion of the movements highlights SevenLog’s experience in managing complex, multimodal shipments across international and West African supply chains, where heavy-lift cargo must move through ports, customs jurisdictions and long-distance road corridors before reaching its final destination.

Moving 310-ton engines from France to Burkina Faso

The first major stage of the operation involved three engines, each weighing approximately 310 tons, originating in Saint-Nazaire, France. Given the scale and weight of the equipment, the movement required detailed coordination from the European port of origin through to its arrival in West Africa.

SevenLog coordinated the maritime transportation of the engines to Takoradi Port in Ghana, where the cargo was received for the next stage of its journey. From Takoradi, the engines were transported inland towards Burkina Faso, requiring careful coordination of port operations, customs procedures, specialised road transport and cross-border logistics.

Moving equipment of this scale into a landlocked country presents a different set of logistical challenges from conventional containerised freight. The route must accommodate the dimensions and weight of the cargo, while border crossings, permits, road conditions and handling requirements all have to be considered as part of the overall movement plan.

The successful delivery of all three engines represented a significant milestone in SevenLog’s involvement in the Komsilga II expansion.

From Shanghai to Ouagadougou: two 70-ton transformers

A second major movement followed, involving two transformers weighing approximately 70 tons each. The transformers originated in Shanghai and were shipped to Tema Port in Ghana, before beginning the overland journey to Ouagadougou.

Following their arrival in Tema, SevenLog coordinated the onward transportation of the transformers through the regional road network to the Komsilga II site. The equipment was successfully delivered to site, where positioning operations subsequently commenced in preparation for installation.

The movement once again required close coordination between maritime, port, customs and road transport operations. For heavy project cargo destined for a landlocked market, the journey does not end when the vessel reaches the port. The inland leg can represent a substantial part of the logistical operation and requires careful planning to ensure that the cargo reaches the project site safely and efficiently.

Connecting global supply chains with West African infrastructure

The Komsilga II project demonstrates the increasingly interconnected nature of major infrastructure projects in West Africa. Equipment manufactured in Europe and Asia can travel thousands of kilometres by sea before entering the region through a West African port and continuing by road to a landlocked destination such as Burkina Faso.

For logistics providers, successfully managing these movements requires more than access to transport capacity. It requires coordination between international shipping partners, port operators, customs authorities, specialised transport providers and teams working across different countries and jurisdictions.

SevenLog’s presence and operational network in Ghana, Togo and Côte d’Ivoire, together with its experience in cross-border transport into the Sahel, enables the company to coordinate these complex movements from port to project site.

Supporting critical energy infrastructure

The delivery of the engines and transformers forms part of the wider Komsilga II Power Plant expansion in Burkina Faso. For SevenLog, the project represents an opportunity to contribute its project cargo expertise to an important energy infrastructure development while demonstrating the role that efficient logistics plays in supporting major projects across the region.

From the initial mobilisation of the 310-ton engines in France to the subsequent delivery of the transformers from Shanghai, the project required different transport solutions while maintaining the same focus on safe handling, careful planning and reliable execution.

With all five major pieces of equipment successfully delivered to the Komsilga II site, SevenLog has completed these major project cargo movements and once again demonstrated its ability to connect global origins with complex destinations across West Africa.

Complex cargo requires more than a route. It requires planning, coordination and expertise at every stage of the journey.