How many ports does Madagascar have?

Madagascar lists seventeen seaports, but only a handful offer adequate commercial container facilities. In practice, the Port of Toamasina (Tamatave) handles roughly 90% of the country's seaborne trade and almost all containerised imports. Ehoala serves minerals and project cargo, while Mahajanga and Toliara handle regional flows.

What is the main port in Madagascar?

Toamasina, on the east coast, is the main port. Its container terminal is operated by MICTSL, a CMA CGM subsidiary, and it accounts for the large majority of Madagascar's seaborne and containerised trade. Most imports clear here and then move inland on the RN2 road to Antananarivo.

How long does shipping to Madagascar take?

It depends on origin. Durban to Toamasina is the fastest at 5–7 days direct (PIL). Jebel Ali is 13–15 days, Nhava Sheva (India) 15–22 days, and Shanghai 22–27 days via Singapore or Colombo transhipment. These are port-to-port figures; add origin haulage and Toamasina customs clearance for door-to-door planning.

Do I need a freight forwarder to import into Madagascar?

For commercial cargo, effectively yes. Imports clear through ASYCUDA World under the DGD, filed via the GasyNet portal, and the process expects a competent declarant who can manage classification, risk channels, and the correct import regime. A freight forwarder or licensed customs broker handles this end-to-end so your cargo is not stranded at the terminal.

What does a freight forwarder in Madagascar do?

A freight forwarder arranges the ocean or air leg, manages customs clearance at Toamasina (ASYCUDA filing, DGD liaison, duty assessment, risk-channel management), and organises inland delivery on the RN2 corridor. Stronger forwarders also handle specialised flows such as cold chain, project cargo, and halal logistics, and advise on import regimes and trade-preference eligibility.

How do I choose a freight forwarder in Madagascar?

Weigh customs depth at Toamasina over the headline rate, confirm corridor coverage that matches your origin, check that the forwarder books inland RN2 capacity rather than handing off at the port gate, look for specialisation if your cargo is cold-chain or out-of-gauge, and confirm documentation is reviewed pre-shipment. Those five factors decide your real transit and landed cost.

Operator's guide

Ports · Corridors · Customs · Madagascar

Freight forwarding in Madagascar: how cargo actually moves.

Roughly 90% of Madagascar's seaborne trade moves through one port: Toamasina, operated by MICTSL under CMA CGM. Choosing a freight forwarder for Madagascar is less about the cheapest rate and more about who controls the three handoffs that decide your landed cost and transit: the ocean leg, customs clearance in ASYCUDA World under the DGD, and the single-road RN2 corridor inland to Antananarivo. This guide maps all three, then sets out how to choose a forwarder that holds them together.

The ports

Seventeen ports on the map. One that runs your cargo.

Madagascar lists seventeen seaports, but only a handful offer commercial container services, and one dominates. Knowing which gateway fits your cargo is the first decision, and for most importers it is already made by the market.

Toamasina (Tamatave)

The working port

Handles roughly 90% of Madagascar's seaborne trade and almost all containerised cargo. The container terminal is run by MICTSL, a CMA CGM subsidiary. If you are importing into Madagascar, your box almost certainly discharges here, then moves inland on the RN2 to Antananarivo.

Ehoala (Fort-Dauphin)

Minerals & project

A modern deep-water port in the south, built around the QMM ilmenite operation. Used for mineral exports and heavy project cargo rather than general containerised trade.

Mahajanga & Toliara

Regional gateways

Northwest and southwest coastal ports serving regional and coastal trade. Limited container capability; useful for specific regional flows rather than mainline imports.

Antsiranana (Diego-Suarez)

Northern port

A deep natural harbour in the north with naval and limited commercial use. Not a mainline container gateway.

The corridors

Five main lanes into Toamasina, with realistic transit times.

Transit time depends on the origin and the carrier rotation, not on wishful thinking. These are the working numbers on the main lanes. Each links to a corridor page with carriers, watch-outs, and FAQs.

Durban → Toamasina
5–7 days
PIL direct, weekly
The fastest commercial sea route into Madagascar. Default lane for South African origins, SADC trade, and a lot of transhipped European cargo.
Jebel Ali → Toamasina
13–15 days
MSC & CMA CGM, weekly
The Gulf corridor. Halal cargo, pharma cold-chain, and Turkey transhipment. Booking tightens ahead of Ramadan.
Nhava Sheva → Toamasina
15–22 days
MSC & CMA CGM
The India lane from JNPT and Mundra. Pharma, cotton textiles, agro-chemicals, and machinery.
Shanghai → Toamasina
22–27 days
CMA CGM, via transhipment
The primary China lane, routed via Singapore or Colombo transhipment. The longest of the main corridors; plan inventory around it.
Port Louis → Toamasina
Regional
Feeder & re-export
The Mauritius corridor. Freeport re-export staging and Indian Ocean Commission inter-island routing.

The full map of lanes and Toamasina port detail sits on the routes & ports page.

Customs reality

The clock that matters runs at the customs desk.

Madagascar clears imports through ASYCUDA World, filed via the GasyNet portal on behalf of the Direction Générale des Douanes (DGD). On filing, the system assigns a risk channel: green (release on documents), yellow (documentary inspection), or red (physical inspection). Standard import duty runs roughly 0–20% by HS code, with 20% VAT on the duty-inclusive value.

The regime you file under changes what you pay. Standard import, temporary admission (Admission Temporaire), bonded transit, bonded warehousing, and the EPZ (Zone Franche) regime each suit different flows, and picking the wrong one is a common, expensive mistake. The full process, document set, and duty detail are on the Madagascar customs clearance page.

By cargo type

Some cargo needs more than a container and a rate.

Customs clearance at Toamasina

ASYCUDA World filing through GasyNet, DGD liaison, risk-channel management, and the right import regime. This is where most shipments lose time, not on the water.

Customs clearance →

Cold chain

Reefer slot management and continuous temperature monitoring for pharma, seafood, and vanilla. In Madagascar the binding constraint is continuity, not capability.

Cold chain logistics →

Mining & project cargo

Heavy-lift and out-of-gauge through Toamasina and Ehoala, with the single-road RN2 corridor inland planned around cyclone-season windows.

Mining & project cargo →

Seasonality

Cyclone season is a logistics variable, not a footnote.

Cyclone season runs roughly November to April. Severe weather windows delay berthing at Toamasina, and heavy rain damage on the RN2 can compress inland road capacity well into Q1 and Q2. For time-critical cargo, plan booking and inland slots around the season rather than against it.

Trade policy, now

Two changes that reshaped Madagascar trade flows.

AGOA's US preference window lapsed on 30 September 2025, which matters for garment, seafood, and vanilla exporters, covered in the AGOA brief. Going the other way, China's LDC zero-tariff treatment took effect from 1 May 2026, opening duty-free access for many Malagasy exports, set out in the China zero-tariff guide.

How to choose

How to choose a freight forwarder in Madagascar.

Most directory listings give you a name and a phone number. The decision that actually protects your cargo is about capability, not contact details. Five things worth checking before you commit a shipment.

01
Depth at Toamasina, not just a rate card
Nearly every import clears at one port through one system. Ask how the forwarder manages ASYCUDA risk channels and DGD liaison, not only what the freight quote is. Clearance discipline is where the days are won or lost.
02
Corridor coverage that matches your origin
A forwarder strong on the Durban lane is not automatically strong on Shanghai or Jebel Ali. Match the partner to where your cargo actually originates and how it tranships.
03
A real inland answer
Cargo released at the terminal still has to reach Antananarivo or the interior on the RN2. Confirm the forwarder books inland capacity rather than handing you off at the port gate.
04
Specialisation where it matters
Cold chain, project cargo, and halal flows each fail in their own way. If your cargo is temperature-sensitive or out-of-gauge, generalist handling is a risk you can see coming.
05
Documentation discipline before the vessel sails
Most yellow-channel inspections trace back to a mismatch between invoice, packing list, and bill of lading. A forwarder who reviews documents pre-shipment is buying back your transit time.

Common questions

Freight forwarding in Madagascar, answered.

How many ports does Madagascar have?: Madagascar lists seventeen seaports, but only a handful offer adequate commercial container facilities. In practice, the Port of Toamasina (Tamatave) handles roughly 90% of the country's seaborne trade and almost all containerised imports. Ehoala serves minerals and project cargo, while Mahajanga and Toliara handle regional flows.
What is the main port in Madagascar?: Toamasina, on the east coast, is the main port. Its container terminal is operated by MICTSL, a CMA CGM subsidiary, and it accounts for the large majority of Madagascar's seaborne and containerised trade. Most imports clear here and then move inland on the RN2 road to Antananarivo.
How long does shipping to Madagascar take?: It depends on origin. Durban to Toamasina is the fastest at 5–7 days direct (PIL). Jebel Ali is 13–15 days, Nhava Sheva (India) 15–22 days, and Shanghai 22–27 days via Singapore or Colombo transhipment. These are port-to-port figures; add origin haulage and Toamasina customs clearance for door-to-door planning.
Do I need a freight forwarder to import into Madagascar?: For commercial cargo, effectively yes. Imports clear through ASYCUDA World under the DGD, filed via the GasyNet portal, and the process expects a competent declarant who can manage classification, risk channels, and the correct import regime. A freight forwarder or licensed customs broker handles this end-to-end so your cargo is not stranded at the terminal.
What does a freight forwarder in Madagascar do?: A freight forwarder arranges the ocean or air leg, manages customs clearance at Toamasina (ASYCUDA filing, DGD liaison, duty assessment, risk-channel management), and organises inland delivery on the RN2 corridor. Stronger forwarders also handle specialised flows such as cold chain, project cargo, and halal logistics, and advise on import regimes and trade-preference eligibility.
How do I choose a freight forwarder in Madagascar?: Weigh customs depth at Toamasina over the headline rate, confirm corridor coverage that matches your origin, check that the forwarder books inland RN2 capacity rather than handing off at the port gate, look for specialisation if your cargo is cold-chain or out-of-gauge, and confirm documentation is reviewed pre-shipment. Those five factors decide your real transit and landed cost.

Shipping to or from Madagascar? Start with the corridor, not the quote.

Send your origin, cargo type, and indicative volume. We'll come back with the realistic transit, the customs path, and an honest view on what the lane will and won't do.

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