Qatar’s ports, especially Hamad Port, have played crucial role in defeating unjust siege by ensuring continuing supply of goods. The crucial contribution of Hamad Port, Ruwais Port and Doha Port in maintaining the country's economic growth is evident from their strong performance.
Opening of Hamad Port, entailing investment of QR27.5bn, played a key role in breaking the blockade as it ensured normal supply goods in the country. Amir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani patronised the official inauguration of Hamad Port in Umm Al Houl on September 5, 2017.
Hamad Port witnessed commencement of new services in 2018, which further strengthened the port’s connectivity to Asian and European destinations with representation from all major global lines. It was the first year that a port in Qatar handled 1 million (Twenty-Foot Equivalent Units) TEU landmark and came in the ranks of the select container terminals around the world handling this volume.
In March 2018, Hamad Port celebrated handling of its first one million TEUs containers. The Port achieved this feat in less than 14 months, which is well ahead of its expected schedule.
Later in November 2019 , the Ministry of Transport and Communications celebrated the handling of over two million TEU and five million tonnes of cargo at Hamad Port until the end of October 2018.
Spread over 28.5 square kilometres, Hamad Port’s basin is 4km long, 700 metres wide and 17 metres deep — specifications that enable it to receive the world’s biggest ships.
The capacity of Hamad Port is to reach 7.5 million TEU annually on completion of all construction phases. It has a general cargo terminal with a capacity of 1.7 million tonnes annually, a terminal for cereals with a capacity of one million tonnes annually, a terminal to receive vehicles with an annual capacity of 500,000, a terminal for livestock, a terminal for coastguard vessels and a terminal for marine support and backup.
Hamad Port has a uniquely designed port control tower at a height of 110 metres, a customs inspection area for rapid cargo clearance (5,600 containers per day), a ship inspection platform and multiple maritime facilities, in addition to other utilities such as storage units, mosques, rest areas, medical clinics and the offices required for port operation. Additionally, as part of Qatar’s major steps toward increasing its non-petroleum exports and building manufacturing industries, a free zone has been established adjacent to Hamad Port.
Hamad Port has been designed in a way that makes it expandable. Its infrastructure has been designed creatively using latest technologies to guarantee infrastructure will always be resilient and developable in a way that contributes to reducing expansion cost in the future.
After the blockade was imposed, the Ministry of Transport and Communications and the Qatar Ports Management Company (Mwani Qatar) responded by launching new shipping routes, connecting Hamad Port directly with several marine destinations. Mwani Qatar in cooperation with its partners launched a number of new direct shipping lines between Hamad Port and various ports of the region and beyond in the last three months.
Despite blockade, expansion plans for Hamad Port continue without interruption. The second Container Terminal is expected to become operational this year. QTerminals has been awarded the design, develop and operation contract for the second container terminal. Last month QTerminal had received cables from a local company.
QTerminals, in November 2018, had received approval to design, develop and operate second Container Terminal of Hamad Port. The second terminal, with berth length of 1,200m and a 17m draft alongside, will have annual capacity of 2 milion TEUs (twenty-foot equivalent units).
One of the key aspects of CT2 development is the use of environmental friendly technologies to facilitate sustainable development. The Quay Cranes being procured are regenerative type, which will be generating electricity during the lowering cycles. The Rubber Tyre Gantries are of Hybrid Type, which will be utilizing electric drives along with the conventional engine.
The second Container Terminal development at Hamad Port is located immediately to the north of the existing Container Terminal – 1. QTerminals provides container, general cargo, RORO, livestock and offshore supply services in Phase 1 of Hamad Port.
Qatar’s maritime sector wrapped up a successful year by setting new volume and productivity benchmarks in 2019. Hamad Port, Ruwais Port and Doha Port received 4,082 vessels and handled 1.34 million Twenty-Foot Equivalent Units (TEUs) containers during the year.
Qatar’s maritime sector is expected to witness another year of strong growth as various steps have been taken by the concerned authorities to boost goods traffic at the ports. One of the major steps include expansions of Hamad Port.
Mwani Qatar had also signed a container services agreement in November 2018, with the Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) to use Hamad Port as a regional hub to manage transshipments for up to 150,000 TEUs per year, growing to one million TEUs by 2023.
The agreement will play important role in transforming Qatar into a vibrant regional trading hub in the region. The agreement will also help in attracting more trans-shipment containers and encourage more international shipping lines to add Hamad Port to their regional routes and sign similar agreements in the future.
Hamad Port, one of the largest ports in the Middle East, has led from the front in boosting Qatar maritime sector as it occupied the lion’s share in the overall port traffic. Hamad Port is already making a paradigm shift in Qatar’s economic diversification and competitiveness, import and re-export of goods.
Qatar’s ports delivered an impressive performance in 2018 also with all-round growth in all segments. The ports had achieved highest annual performance in containers, vessels and livestock in 2018. Hamad Port, Ruwais Port and Doha Port received 4,781 vessels and handled 1.34 million containers during the year. The ports also handled 1.4m tonnes of general cargo; 71,173 vehicles; 324,248 tonnes of building materials and 957,487 heads of livestock in 2018.
