Nouakchott has a Chinese-built deepwater port that opened in 1986. It was designed for a capacity of of cargo a year, but has been handling 1,500,000 tons (DWT) by 2009. China agreed in 2009 to invest US$282 million in the port, aiming to extend the main quay by over . As of 2011, the World Bank was investigating funding a new shipping container facility at the port.
