Angola Launches Tchiowa Ferry on Luanda-Soyo-Cabinda Route
AI illustrationAngola put a new ferry into service in late September 2026. The Tchiowa, a 92-metre ro-pax vessel built in Greece in 2025, started running the coastal corridor connecting Luanda, Soyo, and Cabinda.
The vessel holds 430 passengers and 168 light vehicles. It carries 640 tonnes of cargo. Luanda, Soyo, and Cabinda each sit at different points along Angola's Atlantic shoreline, and the direct sea route shortens journeys that would otherwise require long road detours.
New ferry launches have become a recurring story globally. Just days earlier, BLACK MARLIN delivered the China Zorrilla, the world's largest electric ferry, to Uruguay. Angola's Tchiowa is smaller and regional, but the story is similar: a purpose-built vessel opening a route that had no direct scheduled service before.
The Tchiowa was constructed in Greece and entered service in 2026, adding a maritime link on a coast that has historically depended on road transport for connections between those three ports.
Track this vessel live on MarineRadar
Follow the ships and waters behind the headline in real time — satellite positions every 5 minutes, full voyage history and arrival alerts, straight from your phone.
Related stories
All maritime news
Marine NewsVirgo Transport 8 Death Toll Rises to 64 With 71 Still Missing in Java Sea
Death toll from the Virgo Transport 8 ferry sinking in the Java Sea reached 64 with 71 still missing; rescuers extended the search by seven days as
Marine NewsVirgo Transport 8: 20 Dead and 115 Still Missing as Navy ROVs Search 30-Metre Wreck
Death toll from KM Virgo Transport 8 ferry capsizing rises to 20 with 115 still missing; navy ROVs searching the 30m-deep wreck in Masalembo, Java
Marine NewsPhilippine Ferry Fire Death Toll Hits 76; Victim Identification May Take Months
Death toll in MV June Aster ferry fire near Coron, Philippines rises to 76; authorities say victim identification may take weeks or months.
Marine NewsPhilippine Coast Guard Seizes Explosives Hidden on Palawan Ferry
Philippine Coast Guard K9 dogs seized 12.5 tonnes of ammonium nitrate and 130 cases of dynamite from two cargo trucks aboard a RoRo passenger ferry
Earlier stories
Published before this oneNever miss a story that moves the seas
The incidents, chokepoint shifts and vessel movements that matter — in your inbox the moment they break.



