Logistics services in French Polynesia.

French Polynesia logistics overview: modes, trade and gateways

Logistics services in French Polynesia rely on sea and air access across a wide maritime area. Papeete is the main seaport and serves as the primary cargo hub, supported by smaller ports such as Uturoa, Vaitape, Atuona and Baie Taiohae. There are 6 ports overall and 1 oil terminal, with cargo pier depths at Papeete of about 9.4 m and up to 6.4 m at Uturoa.

Air freight and passenger services use a network of 54 airports, with scheduled flights at 25 of them including Fa'a'ā International Airport and Bora Bora Airport. Containerized trade is modest at about 85,000 TEU a year and liner connectivity is limited. International shipping lines with offices in Papeete provide booking and documentation support for sea moves into and out of the islands.

Freight forwarders in French Polynesia need to manage an import-heavy trade profile and long-haul links to main partners such as Japan, the USA, France, the Netherlands and China for exports, and France, China, the USA, New Zealand and Malaysia for imports. When selecting a forwarder or customs broker, check their experience with these corridors and with the main export goods such as pearls, fish, aircraft parts, gas turbines and vanilla.

The country’s overall logistics performance is around the world median, with customs at about 2.6 against a median of 2.6 and infrastructure at about 2.6 as well. Ask candidates how they handle schedule reliability, tracking and tracing, given scores around 2.7 to 2.8, and how they route cargo via Papeete and secondary ports like Uturoa and Vaitape. For ocean services, many local agents work closely with ANL, CMA CGM, MSC, Maersk and ONE, all of which have offices in Papeete.

FCL and LCL shipping from and to French Polynesia moves mainly through the port of Papeete, the only small commercial port listed, supported by very small facilities at Uturoa, Vaitape, Atuona and Baie Taiohae. Container throughput is about 84,800 TEU in 2022, with a liner shipping connectivity index of 14.33 in 2021. Major global carriers with offices in Papeete include ANL, CMA CGM, MSC, Maersk and ONE, giving shippers multiple options for scheduling FCL and LCL cargo.

Air freight in French Polynesia relies on a relatively dense airport network for an island territory, with about 25 airports offering scheduled services and about 54 airports in total. Fa'a'ā International Airport (PPT) near Papeete is the main international air cargo gateway, supported by airports such as Ahe (AHE), Anaa (AAA), Arutua (AXR) and Bora Bora (BOB) for domestic and regional traffic.

Air makes particular sense for high-value or perishable exports like pearls, fish, aircraft parts, gas turbines and vanilla, and for time-sensitive imports such as packaged medicine and broadcasting equipment. With imports of about 2.5 billion USD against exports of about 175 million USD and a population of about 282,000, air freight complements sea freight for urgent or light shipments that cannot wait for container schedules.

Rail and road freight in French Polynesia plays a local distribution role after cargo arrives by sea or air. The only rail reference in the data is within the port of Papeete, where rail is indicated as present, likely for short internal moves linked to the cargo pier.

Road movements connect ports and airports to population centers on each island, but there are no land borders with other countries. International freight therefore depends on maritime and air corridors, with trucks mainly handling pre-carriage and on-carriage between seaports, airports and consignees.

Customs clearance in French Polynesia operates outside the World Trade Organization framework, as the territory is not a WTO member according to the data. The applied tariff averages about 5.8 percent, which shapes duty exposure on imported cars, packaged medicine, refined petroleum, poultry and broadcasting equipment.

Logistics Performance Index customs scores are about 2.6, matching the world median of 2.6, while overall LPI is about 2.7 against a median of 2.7. Shippers should provide clear commercial invoices, packing lists and transport documents and work with forwarders familiar with local procedures to manage release times. Given the territory’s separate status and strong ties with France, checking partner experience with French Polynesia specifically is advisable.