How Ethiopia Built a Shipping Empire Without a Seaport

Ethiopia has no coastline—yet it owns ocean-going ships, operates a national shipping line and has built one of Africa’s most ambitious logistics networks. At the centre of this system is Modjo Dry Port, an enormous inland cargo terminal nearly 1,800 metres above sea level and around 700 kilometres from the coast. Connected to Djibouti by road and an electrified railway, it performs many of the functions normally found at a seaport—without an ocean anywhere nearby. In this documentary, we explore how Ethiopia responded to losing its coastline after Eritrea’s independence, why it kept its shipping fleet, and how it moved customs, cargo handling and port operations deep into the Ethiopian highlands. We also investigate: Why more than 95% of Ethiopia’s trade passes through Djibouti How Modjo became Ethiopia’s largest dry port Why Ethiopia built a 752-kilometre electrified railway How its ships, railway and inland ports operate as one system Why Ethiopia is still searching for more secure access to the sea The potential roles of Berbera, Lamu and Assab This is the extraordinary story of how Africa’s most populous landlocked country refused to let geography define its ambitions—and built a shipping empire without a seaport. Subscribe to Waka Droid for more documentaries about Africa’s infrastructure, development and engineering ambitions. #Ethiopia #AfricanInfrastructure #Documentary