Port of Cotonou, Maritime gateway in Cotonou, Benin

The Port of Cotonou is Benin's only seaport, on the Atlantic in Cotonou. Its harbour basin covers over 60 ha within a port zone of about 200 ha, with 11 berths for all types of vessels, a 250 m petroleum berth in the southern zone, and separate industrial and artisanal fishing ports. Two 600 m berths were built with Millennium Challenge Account Benin funding, alongside container parks, used-vehicle storage areas and gas depots.

The Port of Cotonou was created on 31 December 1964, making it a relatively recent merchant port on the Atlantic. In 2009 the Beninese government entrusted its management to the French group Bolloré through Bolloré Africa Logistics. Since January 2018, management has been delegated to the Port of Antwerp, Europe's second port after Rotterdam, with the aims of modernising equipment and transferring skills to local staff. In summer 2022 the government approved a €160 million project to extend the basin and renovate the quays, most of the work going to the French firm Eiffage (€119 million, 75% of the contract).

The port serves as a meeting place for merchants from inland countries like Niger and Mali who come to exchange goods. This has created a regional trading community where people from different nations interact daily.

The Port of Cotonou is a working merchant port and is not open to tourist visits, so there is no visitor circuit or viewpoint to plan around. Its 200-hectare area holds 11 berths, a 250-metre petroleum berth in the south zone, and separate industrial and artisanal fishing harbours. Access is tied to freight operations, and the port handles over 10 million tonnes of cargo a year.

The port is Benin's only seaport and handles about 90% of the country's external trade, generating up to 60% of GDP and 45% of tax revenue. It also serves as the leading transit port for landlocked Niger, notably for uranium exported by the French group Areva.