Sierra Leone launches national shipping line with Zhejiang Xiehai holding 70%
SLOSCO was commissioned in Freetown on 19 October and lists 54 ships across its fleet pages
Sierra Leone has launched a national shipping company in Freetown, with China's Zhejiang Xiehai Group holding a 70% stake, the Sierra Leone Ports and Harbours Authority has announced. 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 holds the remaining 30%.
"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. The legislation governing the national shipping agency makes it the country's sole national carrier and allows it, at its discretion, to transport 40% of the total value of cargo imported into and exported from Sierra Leone, covering unitised, dry-bulk and liquid-bulk cargo.
What fleet does SLOSCO have?
The company's website lists 54 ships in its fleet section: 15 capesizes, 10 kamsarmax and panamax bulkers, 25 handysize and ultramax bulkers, two feeder containerships and two chemical tankers. It does not say whether all 54 are owned directly by SLOSCO or include capacity available through its partner network.
SLOSCO is headquartered in Freetown and offers commercial and operational services for dry bulk, oil and project cargo. It 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 based in Linhai, in China's Zhejiang province. Its activities include domestic and international shipping, ship management, vessel leasing and shipping supply-chain management, and in December 2025 it launched a direct route between Taizhou port in China and Freetown. The Sierra Leone National Shipping Agency traces its origins to the former Sierra Leone National Shipping Company, established in 1972 and converted into the agency under legislation adopted in 2025.
This story is part of the Maritime Briefing of 29 October 2026.
