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The Port of Pointe-Noire’s quality, health, safety and environment directorate held a pollution-response exercise from 7 to 9 September 2026, according to the state news agency ACI. The agency published its report on 18 September. The drill tested equipment acquired through European Union and French Development Agency support and assessed how quickly teams could respond to an incident.
In a simulated accidental hydrocarbon spill at sea, port teams deployed floating containment booms and skimmers at three locations: the outer roadstead, the multipurpose quay and the fishing port. The scenario also considered oil on the quay, in the basin and on beaches. ACI said French Development Agency staff observed the exercise.
Port deputy director-general Serge Bouya presided over the debrief, where environment director Grâce Leslie Bhalat said the test allowed the port to check equipment and team readiness. The agency described it as the port’s first full-scale exercise that year; the port said it intended to hold more than one annually. The exercise demonstrated a response drill, not a real spill or a measured cleanup outcome.