Meanwhile, Rio Tinto, Australia's Sundance Resources and a Chinese company have been named among companies shortlisted to build a $US655 million ($A823.44 million) port in Cameroon.
The central African country is aiming to attract investment of $US10 billion in its bauxite, iron ore, cobalt, uranium and nickel deposits in the next few years, and improved infrastructure, including ports, are a key part of that drive.
The proposed new deep seaport at Grand Batanga near Kribi in the south of the country would be able to take much larger vessels than main port Douala.
It would be linked by road and rail to major mining projects under development in Cameroon's interior.
Rio and Sundance subsidiary CamIron both want to develop mineral projects in the country, as does American firm Hydromine, which also made it onto the 16-company shortlist.
"We received 24 applications ... and following analysis the steering committee shortlisted 16 of them," said Nlend Balack, director of port construction.
"We hope to complete the selection process by December and in January sign a build, operate and transfer (BOT) system of contracts or conventions," he said.
Building work was due to begin in September or October 2009.
China Harbour Engineering Corporation, Maersk and Vinci were also selected for the shortlist.
Douala handles 95 per cent of the import and export traffic from Cameroon and neighbouring Chad and Central African Republic, both landlocked.
The port is restricted in the size of the ships it can handle owing to its location on the sediment-filled River Wouri estuary, which demands constant dredging.
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