Logistics services in Tunisia.

Tunisia logistics overview: modes, trade and gateways

Logistics services in Tunisia rely on sea, air, rail, and road connections across the country and its neighbors. Containers move through a network of 16 seaports, including La Goulette, Tunis, Gabes, Menzel Bourguiba, and several oil terminals.

Air freight uses 7 airports with scheduled international service, such as Tunis Carthage, Djerba Zarzis, Enfidha - Hammamet, Monastir Habib Bourguiba, and Sfax Thyna. A rail network of about 2,173 km links ports like La Goulette, Tunis, and Gabes with inland areas, while road freight connects overland trade with Algeria and Libya. Export and import flows total about 21 billion USD and 29 billion USD, covering garments, insulated wire, oil products, plastic products, cars, and plastics.

Freight forwarders in Tunisia should be comfortable routing via key ports such as La Goulette, Tunis, Gabes, Menzel Bourguiba and the oil terminals along the 1,148 km coastline. The country handles about 492,000 TEU a year and is 87th of 168 worldwide, so forwarders need to plan around moderate volumes and liner connectivity. Logistics performance is slightly below the world median on infrastructure and tracking, so ask how they manage visibility, delays and handovers. Customs and border procedures score below the world median; clarify their experience with exports of garments, olive oil and petroleum products and imports of petroleum, gas, plastics and cars. For sea moves, many forwarders will work with lines that have offices in Tunisia such as CMA CGM, Maersk, MSC, COSCO, Hapag-Lloyd and others. Regional trade is concentrated with France, Italy and Germany, so check their partner network in those markets as well as in Libya and the wider AU bloc.

FCL and LCL shipping from and to Tunisia uses a network of 16 ports, including La Goulette, Tunis, Gabes and Menzel Bourguiba, supported by rail at several terminals. Containerized trade is about 492,000 TEU a year, with Tunisia ranked 87th of 168 worldwide and 17th of 21 in its region. Liner connectivity is limited, with an LSCI score of 5.62 and the lowest rank in its regional group, so service choices may be narrower and schedules more sensitive. Major shipping lines with offices in Tunis or Rades include CMA CGM, Maersk, MSC, COSCO, Evergreen, Hapag-Lloyd, ONE, APL, HMM, Arkas and X-Press Feeders. An observed all-in FCL rate for a 40HC from Rio Grande to Tunis was 8,978 USD on 2026-10-29, which can be used as a directional benchmark for long-haul pricing at that time.

Air freight in Tunisia is served by 7 airports with scheduled international service. Main cargo gateways include Tunis Carthage International Airport, Djerba Zarzis, Enfidha - Hammamet, Monastir Habib Bourguiba, and Sfax Thyna. In 2023, air carriers moved about 11 million tonne-km of freight, placing Tunisia 92 of 184 countries worldwide and 16 of 22 in its region.

Air transport suits higher-value or time-sensitive Tunisian exports such as garments, insulated wire, and certain processed petroleum or plastic products, particularly on lanes to France, Italy, Germany, the USA, and Libya. It can also support urgent imports of refined petroleum, natural gas, plastic products, cars, and plastics where sea transit times are too long. Forwarders may combine air with road and rail to connect inland industrial zones with these airports.

Rail and road freight in Tunisia uses a network that links ports, industrial hubs, and neighboring countries. The rail system covers about 2,173 km and connects directly to cargo ports such as La Goulette, Tunis, and Gabes, supporting inland moves of containers, bulk cargo, and oil-related products. Rail freight volumes reached about 413 million tonne-km in 2021, ranking Tunisia 82 of 113 globally and 10 of 13 in its region.

Road haulage is essential for cross-border freight, with land frontiers to Algeria over about 1,034 km and to Libya over about 461 km. These corridors support trade in refined petroleum, natural gas, manufactured goods, and agricultural products. Road carriers typically handle the first and last mile between factories, logistics zones, rail terminals, ports like Mersa Sfax and Sousse, and airports such as Tunis Carthage.

Customs clearance in Tunisia operates within long-standing international frameworks. The country has been a member of the World Customs Organization since 1966-07-20 and is also a member of the WTO and the AU. The average applied tariff stands at about 9.35 percent, based on the latest figure. For overall logistics performance, Tunisia’s LPI customs score is 2.38 versus a world median of 2.6.

Export and import lead times are relatively short, at 4 days for exports and 5 days for imports. When working with customs brokers and freight forwarders, shippers should confirm that they can handle standard documentation such as the commercial invoice, packing list, and transport document, and that they are familiar with Tunisia’s main trade lanes to partners including France, Italy, Germany, the USA, Libya, China, and Russia. Attention to customs processes and infrastructure planning helps offset weaker LPI scores in those areas while making use of stronger time and tracking performance.