Hamad Port. Nasim Zaytoun / Reuters / File Photo
The Ministry of Transport and Communications has awarded the contract of part one of the second phase of the Hamad Port.
The ministry announced, on its social media platforms, that the contract of the project has been awarded for $2bn.
The full operations of the port were inaugurated in December 2016 at the completion of the first phase.
The construction work of the first phase of Hamad Port had been completed six months before its stipulated time and at a cost lower than estimated.
Currently, the technology being used for various operations at the port is most sophisticated and modern. These systems have the capacity to inspect as many as 5,600 containers per day which stands among the highest figures of the world ports.
At present, Hamad Port's capacity is 2 million containers and it will go up to 7 million after the completion of all the three phases. The Minister for Transport and Communications, H E Jassim Saif Ahmed Al Sulaiti had stated in December last year that the projects for next two phases will be awarded in 2017 with a budgetary allocation amounting to QR2.5bn.
"The private sector would take 60 percent of the total value of the project. Hamad Port will be completed in three phases and will be completed by 2020," he had announced.
Another post shared on the ministry’s Facebook page shows Hamad Port receiving a vessel carrying 386 containers filled with food stuff and construction material. A vessel “Al Shuwaikh” has also been shown in a video shared on the page that has brought 32,000 heads of sheep from Australia.
Director of Hamad Port Captain Abdul Aziz Al Yafei has said that Hamad Port will launch and add new service lines with Europe and Southeast Asia in the coming days.
