Cargo Lashing Equipment — Democratic Republic of Congo

DunLash Load Securing Solutions for the DRC’s Mining, Infrastructure, and Cross-Border Freight Sectors

The DRC — Africa’s Most Significant Mining Freight Market

The Democratic Republic of Congo is the world’s largest producer of cobalt — supplying approximately 70% of global cobalt production — and one of Africa’s largest copper producers, centred on the Katanga (Haut-Katanga) copper belt in the south of the country. The DRC also produces coltan (a key source of tantalum), gold, diamonds, cassiterite (tin ore), and tungsten, as well as holding vast reserves of lithium and rare earth elements.

The scale and complexity of DRC mining operations creates enormous freight requirements: heavy mining equipment moving from South African and Tanzanian ports to inland mine sites, copper and cobalt concentrates moving from Katanga mines to export ports, processing chemicals moving between suppliers and mines, and a continuous flow of equipment, spare parts, and consumables keeping large-scale mining operations running.

All of this freight must travel by road or rail through neighbouring countries — Zambia, Tanzania, Zimbabwe, Angola, or the Republic of Congo — to reach deep-water export ports. These multi-country, multi-thousand-kilometre journeys demand cargo securing products that perform reliably under extreme conditions.

In addition to our cargo lashing solutions, we offer a full range of lashing systems, strapping, dunnage, desiccants, and cargo protection products. Read more about these product specifications below:

Polyester Lashing Specifications
Mining & Heavy Industry Cargo Securing
Bulk Chemical Cargo Securing
Cargo Lashing Equipment Zambia
Cargo Lashing Equipment Tanzania
Cargo Lashing Equipment Angola

Primary Freight Corridors for DRC Cargo

• Dar es Salaam Corridor (TAZARA) — from Katanga through Zambia via TAZARA railway to Dar es Salaam port in Tanzania; one of the most heavily used corridors for DRC copper and cobalt exports
• North-South Corridor — Katanga through Zambia via Nakonde/Tunduma to Tanzania’s Dar es Salaam; also connects south to Durban via Zimbabwe and South Africa’s Beit Bridge border
• Benguela Railway (Angola) — the restored Benguela Railway connects the DRC’s Katanga region to Lobito port on Angola’s Atlantic coast; now operating as a major copper export route
• Kinshasa–Matadi — for western DRC cargo, the road from Kinshasa to Matadi port provides Atlantic coast access for non-Katanga freight
• Northern DRC — cargo from northern mining regions (North Kivu, Ituri) moves through Uganda to Mombasa or through the Central African Republic and Cameroon

Cargo Securing Challenges for DRC Operations

• Extreme distances — cargo from Katanga to Dar es Salaam or Durban travels 2,000 to 3,000km by road and rail; securing systems must maintain performance over very extended journeys
• Road conditions — despite improvement, many routes serving DRC mine sites involve rough road sections, river crossings, and unpaved surfaces that impose high vibration loads on cargo
• Multiple border crossings — DRC cargo typically crosses two or three international borders, with associated handling, inspection delays, and further securing stress at each crossing
• Mining equipment scale — DRC mining operations are among the largest in Africa; equipment including crushers, ball mills, conveyors, transformers, and haul trucks requires very high strength securing
• Cobalt and copper concentrate — concentrate moves in sealed containers or bulk; the containers themselves require proper dunnage bag void-filling to prevent concentrate shifting
• Chemical reagents for mining — cyanide, sulphuric acid, and other mining reagents moving from South African suppliers to DRC mines require correctly rated securing as chemical cargo

DunLash Products for DRC Cargo Operations

Heavy Lashing — Mining Equipment and Project Cargo

All specifications SGS certified. MSL at 50% of system breaking strength: DunLash 750 MSL = approximately 6,925 daN (7 tonnes) per lashing.

Composite Strapping — Palletised Consumables and Reagents

DunLash composite polyester strapping from 13mm to 32mm (529–2,771 daN system strength) is used for palletised chemical reagents, spare parts, consumables, and packaged goods moving to DRC mine sites.

Dunnage Air Bags — Long-Haul Container Void Filling

DunLash dunnage bags (90×120cm to 90×225cm, AAR Level 0, 1, and 2) prevent load shifting during the extended road and rail journeys between DRC and export ports. The AAR Level 2 specification (burst pressure up to 17psi) is recommended for the rough road conditions and railway shunting forces encountered on DRC freight corridors.

Container Desiccants — Mine Site Humidity and Transit Protection

DRC’s equatorial climate creates high humidity in many of the country’s mining and freight corridors. Containers picking up cargo in humid DRC conditions carry significant moisture loads. DunLash Ultra container desiccants protect cargo throughout the extended transit to export ports.

Industries and Sectors Generating DRC Freight

• Cobalt and copper mining — Glencore (Katanga Mining), Ivanhoe Mines (Kamoa-Kakula), Freeport-McMoRan and other major operators generate massive equipment and export freight volumes
• Gold mining — operations in Kibali, Moto, and other gold production regions
• Coltan and cassiterite — eastern DRC artisanal and industrial mining feeding global electronics supply chains
• Infrastructure and construction — the DRC’s infrastructure development programme including dam projects (Grand Inga), road construction, and urban development
• Humanitarian and NGO logistics — the DRC hosts one of the world’s largest humanitarian operations, generating significant freight to interior locations
• Agricultural development — DRC’s vast agricultural potential is increasingly being developed, generating equipment and produce freight

DRC Cargo Lashing FAQs

Does DunLash supply cargo securing products to the DRC?

DunLash supplies DRC customers from our South African operations, coordinating delivery through established freight corridors — primarily the North-South Corridor via Zambia and Zimbabwe to Beit Bridge, and the TAZARA corridor via Tanzania. For western DRC operations, we can coordinate via the Benguela Railway corridor through Angola. Contact DunLash to discuss supply logistics for your DRC operation.

What lashing is recommended for large mining equipment moving from South Africa to DRC mines?

For the heaviest mining equipment — ball mills, crushers, large transformers, and haul truck components — DunLash recommends the 50mm DunLash 750 with Dynablock buckle, achieving a system breaking strength of 13,850 daN. The number and arrangement of lashings is calculated based on cargo weight and the dynamic forces of the transport mode. DunLash provides cargo securing assessments for mining equipment freight.

Which port does DunLash recommend for DRC export cargo routing?

The preferred export port depends on the DRC cargo origin and destination market. Katanga/copper belt cargo currently uses both Dar es Salaam (TAZARA/road) and Lobito (Benguela Railway) as primary routes, with Durban as an alternative via Zambia and Zimbabwe. DunLash supplies securing products for all corridor options. Contact us to discuss the securing requirements for your specific routing.

Contact DunLash to discuss cargo securing solutions for your DRC operations.

Related Resources

• Polyester Lashing Specifications
• Mining & Heavy Industry Cargo Securing
• Bulk Chemical Cargo Securing
• Cargo Lashing Equipment Zambia

Lashing Product Range

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