A week after the arrival of first vessel at Hamad Port’s Container Terminal 2 (CT2), the Ministry of Transport and Communications (MoTC) yesterday highlighted the strategic importance of the port saying that it contributes to achieving economic diversification and supporting major national projects.
“Hamad Port contributes to achieving economic diversification and supporting major national projects, as the port received Doha Metro trains to support the sustainable transport network in the country. The port has a pioneering role in stimulating commercial movement, meeting the needs of the local market, and supporting trade exchange between Qatar and the outside world,” said the Ministry on its official Twitter yesterday.
Meanwhile, QTerminals has said that work on Container Terminal 2 is fully on track. “QTerminals has received the first batch of 12 trailers that will support CT2 operations. A further 12 units will be delivered during September and October. All the trailers are Made in Qatar. CT2 – fully on track,” tweeted QTerminals.
In another tweet, QTerminals announced that all 3 HHMC Quay Cranes for operations in CT2 have been loaded successfully on M/V Hua Sheng Long. “Delivery to Hamad Port is expected early October,” it announced. In a number of tweets, the Ministry of Transport and Communications yesterday said that Hamad Port is distinguished by its huge potentials as the general cargo terminal has a capacity of seven million tonnes per year, the multiuse terminal is one million tonnes per year of grain and 500,000 cars in addition to livestock.
“The three container terminals will handle 7.5 million TEUs annually upon completion of all stages of development,” it added. On Hamad Port’s importance, the Ministry added that it attracts the largest international shipping companies due to its prestigious position, modern fleet, advanced systems and its leadership in providing high-quality marine services to all ships. “The port has entered the Guinness World Records title as the deepest artificial basin ever made on earth,” the MoTC tweeted.
It is pertinent to mention that Hamad Port had added a new achievement to its series of achievements in September last year by setting a new Guinness World Records title as the deepest artificial basin ever made on earth.
Hamad Port’s basin is 4km long, 700 meters wide and 17 meters deep. Basin construction took about two and a half years of excavation, during which over 6900 tonnes of explosives were used to challenge the drafts - with full commitment to preserving wildlife and marine life - to extract more than 44.5 million cubic meters of dredged material, which was later used in other construction works at the project, resulting in huge savings.
The port was inaugurated three years ago, ahead of schedule and at a lower cost, to be Qatar’s main gateway for trade with the world, and pillar to support the prosperity of the national economy in line with the goals of Qatar’s National Vision 2030.
The first vessel had arrived at Hamad Port’s Container Terminal 2 (CT2) on August 29, 2020. The ship was loaded with the first shipment of the rubber-tired gantry cranes (RTGs) for vertical container transportation. RTGs will be installed on CT2 quay directly to be used in the initial operation of CT2. The area of Phases 1 & 2 of Hamad Port’s CT2 is 380,000sqm.
