The Congo is the world’s second largest river. The majestic backbone of the country that shares its name, it is the link between the Katanga mines, the equatorial forests and its capital Kinshasa. Its 1700 km of navigable waters lie between Kisangani and Kinshasa, the section of the river separating the Stanley Falls from its basin, the Stanley Pool.
The Kotakoli, a 200 meter long, 30 meter wide floating platform linking eight barges, has been in service since 1976, and only manages to transport its 5,000 ton cargo once out of its ten scheduled yearly trips. Half a century ago a ship’s return trip took 20 days. Today, due to the bankruptcy of the National Transport Office (ONATRA), generalized corruption and “administrative red tape”, it now takes two and half months to cross the country.
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