Port of Freetown
In short
Freetown: no ships detected in port from AIS in the last 3 days (as of Oct 5, 2026, 22:24 UTC). Coverage depends on AIS reception in the area.
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- In port now
- 0
- Arrivals, last 24 h
- 0
- Departures, last 24 h
- 0
- Ships nearby, last 6 h
- 0
Vessels near Freetown
Ships Voydar received on AIS near the port in the last 6 hours, most recent first. Being near a port is not a port call; the board above lists calls.
No vessels detected near Freetown in the last 6 hours. As our AIS coverage grows, arrivals and departures will appear here live.
Harbour & facilities
Harbour particulars for Freetown from the NGA World Port Index (WPI port no. 45862). Depths in metres as charted by NGA.
- Harbour size
- Small
- Harbour type
- Coastal (natural)
- Shelter
- Fair
- Channel depth
- 8 m
- Anchorage depth
- 14 m
- Cargo pier depth
- 9 m
- Oil terminal depth
- 11 m
- Mean tide
- 3 m
- Pilotage compulsory
- Yes
- First port of entry
- Yes
- Repairs
- Moderate
Source: NGA World Port Index (Pub. 150). Licence: US Government public domain.
Not for navigation.
Forecast
Model forecast for Freetown over the next 72 hours, every 6 hours: wind, gusts, waves and visibility. Times in UTC.
| Time (UTC) | Wind (kn) | From | Gusts (kn) | Waves (m) | Period (s) | Visibility (km) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 | 296° | 13 | 0.4 | NaN | 15 | |
| 5 | 343° | 9 | 0.4 | NaN | 22 | |
| 5 | 43° | 12 | 0.4 | NaN | 24 | |
| 7 | 280° | 12 | 0.3 | NaN | 24 | |
| 9 | 296° | 13 | 0.4 | NaN | 23 | |
| 5 | 327° | 11 | 0.4 | NaN | 4.4 | |
| 4 | 77° | 12 | 0.4 | NaN | 7.3 | |
| 6 | 246° | 12 | 0.3 | NaN | 6.7 | |
| 5 | 227° | 10 | 0.3 | NaN | 24 | |
| 2 | 99° | 7 | 0.3 | NaN | 24 | |
| 6 | 120° | 10 | 0.3 | NaN | 24 |
Forecast: ECMWF IFS 0.25° + ECMWF WAM, run of Oct 5, 2026, 12:00 UTC. Visibility: NOAA GFS 0.25° + GFS-Wave (WAVEWATCH III), run of Oct 5, 2026, 12:00 UTC. Waves are taken from the wave model's nearest sea point, 2 km away.
Source: ECMWF open data (IFS 0.25° forecasts, ECMWF WAM waves). This service is based on data and products of the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF). Source: www.ecmwf.int. Licence: CC BY 4.0. Licence: CC-BY-4.0 + ECMWF Terms of Use.
Source: NOAA GFS 0.25° and GFS-Wave (WAVEWATCH III) forecasts. Forecast: NOAA NCEP GFS / GFS-Wave (WAVEWATCH III). Licence: US Government work (public domain); NOAA Open Data Dissemination.
A model forecast, not an observation. Not for navigation.
Freetown: daily port calls from satellite AIS (IMF PortWatch)
Estimates published by the International Monetary Fund's PortWatch, built from satellite and terrestrial AIS. They cover waters our own receivers do not reach yet. These are the IMF's figures, not Voydar's counts.
The IMF estimates 17 port calls in the 7 days and 72 in the 30 days to Sep 25, 2026. That is 14% more than the same 30 days a year earlier (63).
- Container
- 10
- Tanker
- 15
- Dry bulk
- 17
- General cargo
- 30
- Ro-ro
- 0
Estimated cargo loaded and discharged in those 30 days: 0.5 million tonnes.
09-12 2 | 09-13 1 | 09-14 4 | 09-15 5 | 09-16 2 | 09-17 3 | 09-18 1 | 09-19 2 | 09-20 3 | 09-21 3 | 09-22 3 | 09-23 1 | 09-24 3 | 09-25 2 |
Sources: Kpler; UN Global Platform; IMF PortWatch (portwatch.imf.org). IMF estimates, updated weekly; the latest days are revised. portwatch.imf.org. Counts cover container ships, tankers, dry bulk, general cargo and ro-ro vessels (30-day totals above).
Freetown: global benchmarks
How Freetown compares with the world's ports, from published statistics. These are the publishers' figures, not Voydar's own measurements.
- Container Port Performance Index 2023
- #226 of 405
- World Bank ranking of container ports by vessel time in port (lower rank = faster turnaround). Port identified from the CPPI port name "FREETOWN" (80% confidence).
- Source: World Bank, The Container Port Performance Index 2023 (CC BY 3.0 IGO). Retrieved Sep 24, 2026.
Piracy and anti-shipping incidents nearby
38 incidents within 100 km of the port in NGA's Anti-Shipping Activity Messages (ASAM) archive since Aug 22, 1985. NGA stopped updating the archive in 2024. The most recent:
- HijackingJul 22, 2023Fishing Vessel36 km away
SIERRA LEONE: On 22 July at 0500 local time, 13 pirates armed with guns hijacked an underway fishing vessel approximately 19 NM southwest of Freetown, near position 08-22N 013-32W. The pirates took the fishing vessel’s 23 crew hostage and the vessel transited in a southeasterly direction toward Liberian waters. On 26 July, the International Maritime Bureau reported the Liberian Coast Guard located the hijacked fishing vessel off Monrovia, Liberia. After an exchange of gun fire between the pirate
- IncidentJul 5, 2023Fishing Vessel53 km away
SIERRA LEONE: On 5 July at 0335 UTC, eight robbers boarded a fishing vessel in the northern part of Sierra Leone waters close to the border with Guinea, near position 08-53N 013-31W. The robbers stole personal belongings and ship’s stores before destroying cameras and communications equipment. During the incident, the master was shot and later hospitalized in stable condition. A Sierra Leone Navy patrol boat was sent to the fishing vessel’s location and the vessel then headed to Freetown Port.
- IncidentSep 14, 2022Cargo Ship97 km away
GUINEA: On 14 September at 0005 UTC, five robbers armed with knives and guns boarded the anchored Antigua and Barbuda-flagged general cargo ship MARTINA at Conakry Anchorage, near position 09-12N 013-46W. The perpetrators attempted to force their way into interior spaces which resulted in the crew retreating to the citadel. Port control was informed and a security vessel was dispatched. As the security vessel approached the cargo ship, the robbers were observed escaping on a motor-powered boat w
- OtherAug 11, 2022Barge4 km away
SIERRA LEONE: On 11 August, at 0300 local time, one robber boarded the anchored Indonesia-flagged transshipment barge BULK BORNEO in the Freetown Anchorage area, near position 08-30N 013-12W. The ship's guard spotted one robber on the barge and illuminated him with his flashlight, which resulted in the perpetrator escaping. The incident was reported to port authorities.
- IncidentDec 1, 2020Cargo Ship4 km away
SIERRA LEONE: On 1 December, a robber boarded a container vessel berthed in Freetown, near position 08-30N — 013-12W. The Port facility watch personnel spotted one robber onboard and another attempting to board from a small boat using a rope. When detected, the robbers fled empty handed.
- OtherAug 21, 2020Passenger Ship16 km away
On 21 August, seven armed robbers boarded the China-owned long liner SHANGHA12 while anchored near position 08:25N - 013:07W, approximately 10 NM southeast of Freetown. The robbers were armed with machetes and a shotgun. The crew tried to defend their vessel but were assaulted. One of the robbers shot the captain in the leg. The Sierra Leone Navy responded, but the robbers had escaped by the time they arrived on the scene. The robbers stole crew's money, computers and a large quantity of fish.
Source: NGA Anti-Shipping Activity Messages. This reproduction, partial or complete, of any National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA), National Imagery and Mapping Agency (NIMA) or Defense Mapping Agency (DMA) product, information or data is not approved, authorized or endorsed by the Secretary of Defense, the Director of National Intelligence, the Director, NGA or any other element of the US Government. The US Government and NGA accept no liability for the accuracy or quality of this reproduction or the use of any NGA, NIMA or DMA products, information or data. Licence: US Government work — "NGA claims no copyright or other intellectual property right".
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