(MENAFN- The Peninsula) By Sachin Kumar | The Peninsula
Doha: Hamad Port aims to capture 35 percent of the trade in the Middle East in the next two years, said the Minister of Transport and Communications H E Jassim bin Saif Al Sulaiti in an interview published in Oxford Business Group's (OBG) recently released report ‘The Report: Qatar 2017'.
This will be achieved by properly leveraging facilities at the port.
'With the opening of the port, the volume of Qatar's international trade is set to witness rapid growth currently capturing 27 percent of trade in the Middle East and aiming to reach 35 percent in the next two years. This can be achieved by properly leveraging the facilities at Hamad Port, which is Qatar's largest sea access point and a gateway to more than 150 destinations around the world, the Minister told the OBG.
'The port will provide the country with complete independence in its import and export of goods internationally. We will be able to export Qatari products directly from Doha to 130 countries, thus resulting in easy re-exportation from these countries to Qatar, he added.
The $7.4bn Hamad Port, the largest port in the region, has played a significant role in defeating the unjust siege imposed by blockading countries.
Hamad port is capable of handling 5,000 vessels per year and has a general cargo terminal that can handle 1.7 million tonnes of general goods per year.
He said that the port will encourage the role private sector by providing more business opportunities to them in coming years.
'The private sector took over 60 percent of the value of all tenders announced for Hamad Port, which exceed QR10bn ($2.7bn). Moreover, the private sector will be responsible for a major portion of the construction works of the second phase of the port, with projects valued at QR5bn ($1.4bn) in total expected to be completed and delivered between 2020 and 2021, he informed.
The Minister said that there is an increased focus on enhancing the role of national companies in mega-projects through an MoTC strategy called Private Sector Participation in Transport Projects.
The port has begun the new year with yet another achievement. The port received a total of 182 vessels in January this year, which was the highest number of vessels handled in a month since the start of operations at Hamad Port.
A senior official of a private logistic company told The Peninsula that the traffic at the ports in Qatar, including Hamad Port, is likely to grow in the coming months as the country is undergoing a phase of rapid pace of development.
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