Doha: Prime Minister and Interior Minister H E Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa Al Thani yesterday attended the inauguration of early partial operations at Hamad Port.
The port will handle limited types of ships and cargo as stipulated in the operations decision, Qatar News Agency reports.
At the beginning of the ceremony, a film documentary on the development of the port project was screened. The Premier gave the command to start early partial operations and was briefed on the offloading of the first commercial cargo ship after its arrival. He also toured facilities and administrative buildings and was updated on the project’s progress and work phases that resulted in the achievement.
The Premier said the early opening of the port will help economic diversification and achieve Qatar National Vision 2030.
In a statement after the ceremony, he said the existence of the port adjacent to the economic zone will help in the export and re-export process, adding that the opening ahead of schedule is another achievement by the steering committee of the project.
Minister of Transport H E Jassim Seif Ahmed Al Sulaiti said: “It gives me great pleasure to welcome you all today (yesterday) to witness yet another significant milestone for Qatar, coinciding with National Day celebrations.
“In February 2015, Hamad Port was officially named and we commenced flooding of its basin. This July we received our first ship delivering cranes for the project, and today the port’s early partial operations start.
“This is another moment of gratitude from the Qatari people to Emir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, Father Emir H H Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani and Deputy Emir H H Sheikh Abdullah bin Hamad Al Thani for unlimited support for the success of all giant development projects, as we open today the port’s general cargo and roll-on roll-off facilities and establish operations for the delivery of general goods, vehicles and construction equipment.
“In doing this, we increase our container capacity at Doha Port while continuing to prepare Hamad Port to receive the world’s largest cargo ships in 2016.”
Maintaining Qatar’s seafaring past and culture, Hamad Port is on its way to become Qatar’s primary trade link to the world, he said.
The new port is unique and characterised by world-class systems and technology that will enhance Qatar’s logistics capability and support the development of local industry.
It will modernise the way Qatar handles imports and exports through sea routes, increasing its maritime trade and facilitating growth and diversification of its economy.
Hamad Port is an important addition to Qatar ports, and will operate six million containers a year once fully operational.
It has a general cargo terminal to handle 1.7 million tonnes of general goods, one million tonnes of food grains and 500,000 vehicles. It will also have livestock and multi-use terminals, an offshore supply base, a Coast Guard facility, and a port marine unit, said the Minister.
Hamad Port will provide trans-shipment links by rail, sea and road to GCC and other Arabian Gulf states. It will have an advanced safety and security system, a customs inspection area with latest technologies for speedy clearance of goods.
The establishment of an economic zone adjacent to the new port will facilitate manufacturing industries and help Qatar increase its non-oil and gas exports.
The creation of an integrated logistics park in the port area will provide connection to Qatar and GCC rail freight network.
Along with new expressway interchanges, the port will facilitate cost-effective cargo handling and will position Qatar as the new regional shipping hub.
The Peninsula
