The Société Commerciale des Transports et des Ports (abbreviated as SCTP), formerly known as the Office d'Exploitation des Transports Coloniaux 1935–1959,[1][2] then Office d'Exploitation des Transports au Congo 1960–1970,[3] and Office National des Transports (ONATRA) 1971–2011,[4][5] is a publicly owned company headquartered in
Kinshasa, operating railways, ports, and inland barge transport in the north and west of the
Democratic Republic of the Congo along the
Congo River. Founded in 1935, Its main office is strategically located on
Boulevard Du 30 Juin in the
Gombe commune of Kinshasa.[6][5]
History
The Office d'Exploitation des Transports Coloniaux (or "Colonial transport agency, OTRACO) was established in 1935 as a public body,[1] and renamed the Office d'Exploitation des Transports au Congo (OTRACO) in 1960 following the country's independence,[3] finally becoming the "Office National des Transports" (ONATRA) in 1971.[7][2][5] In 1973, ONATRA transported a record high of 410,871 passengers.[8] However, its monopoly was removed in 1977, allowing other individuals and companies to become shipowners. This led to a decline in passenger traffic, with only 121,779 passengers transported in 1982. The
Second Congo War also blocked the Congo River beyond
Mbandaka, leading to a halt in traffic.[5][9][10]
In 2010, ONATRA was transformed into a limited liability
joint-stock company and renamed Société Commerciale des Transports et des Ports. Its new statutes were registered on December 24, 2010.[5][11]
2022 fire damages on the SCTP headquarters
On July 25, 2022, a
conflagration of "unknown origin" beset a section of the edifice housing the SCTP's principal offices.[5] While the exact cause of the fire remains enigmatic, reports from
Ouragan suggest that the inferno erupted at 1:00 a.m.[5]Actualite reported that the fire ravaged the windows and "unrecognizable sections of the imposing building."[12] A contingent of firefighters quelled the
flames, while police officers were deployed on the ground to cordon off the disaster scene.[5]
^Etude de factibilite: ameliorations et extensions portuaires a Matadi et Kinshasa (in French). Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo: ONATRA. 1977.
^Etude des opérations du départment des voies fluviales, des chantiers naval et du port de Kinshasa, Vol. 5 (in French). Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo: ONATRA. 1987.