# Palanca Terminal (AO PAT)

**UN/LOCODE:** AO PAT  
**Country:** Angola  
**Water Body:** South Atlantic Ocean  
**Harbor Size:** Small  
**Harbor Type:** Open Roadstead  
**GPS:** -6.9500, 12.4000

Palanca is not a conventional harbour but an offshore crude-oil export terminal off Angola's coast in the South Atlantic. At its heart is an FSO (Floating Storage and Offloading) unit that stores crude from the mature Block 3/05 in the Lower Congo Basin — lying 37 km offshore in 40–100 m of water, operated by Sonangol (36 %) with partners Afentra (30 %), M&P (30 %), ETU Energies (10 %) and NIS (4 %) — and loads it onto tankers. In 2026, light well interventions at Palanca are targeting around 3,500 bpd of production restoration from shut-in wells. It is an open roadstead with no quays and no container or general-cargo handling; callers are exclusively crude tankers working ship-to-ship or in tandem. There is no hinterland in the forwarding sense, as the cargo is exported straight to sea. For breakbulk, containers or project cargo into Angola, Luanda or Lobito are the appropriate gateways. Forwarders should classify Palanca firmly as an energy terminal rather than a general freight port.

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*Freight Academy — Seaport Profile: [https://www.freight-academy.com/en/information/seaports/palanca-terminal-port-ao-pat](https://www.freight-academy.com/en/information/seaports/palanca-terminal-port-ao-pat)*

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*LLM-Summary (JSON): https://www.freight-academy.com/api/v1/seaports/palanca-terminal-port-ao-pat/llm-summary?lang=en*