Doha: QTerminals announced that it has received approval to design, develop and operate Phase II (Container Terminal 2) of Hamad Port. The announcement comes as a major boost for the expansion of Hamad Port, which has become Qatar’s gateway to the world trade in a short span of time.
“QTerminals is pleased to announce that it has received approval to design, develop and operate Phase II (Container Terminal 2) of Hamad Port,” said QTerminals in a tweet.
QTerminals is a terminal operating company jointly established by Qatar Ports Management Company (Mwani) and Qatar Navigation (Milaha). The company provides container, general cargo, RORO (roll-on roll-off), livestock and offshore supply services in Phase 1 of Hamad Port.
Earlier this month, Minister of Transport and Communications H E Jassim bin Saif Al Sulaiti had said that the second phase of development of Hamad Port would be announced before the end of this year and the implementation of the project will start by early 2019. He added that the port would witness important development in the second phase, especially as work for the current phase in terms of equipment, operation and clearance have been completed.
QTerminals current operations at Hamad Port include a container terminal with a capacity of two million TEUs (twenty-foot equivalent units) and general cargo, RORO and livestock terminals with a capacity of 1.7m tonnes. The port has a capacity to receive 500,000 vehicle per year.
Since commencing operations in December 2016, Hamad Port has modernised the way Qatar handles imports and exports and has helped in facilitating the growth and diversification of the country’s economy. It has acquired 28 percent share in the volume of trade in the Middle East.
Within a short period of time, the port has reached a global port connectivity coverage with 40 ports spanning over three continents. The port has seen tremendous growth in a short duration and is further cementing Qatar’s position as a regional maritime hub.
It also plays a major role in securing the needs of local markets and projects implemented by Qatar, ensuring access of Qatari products to the global markets.
The Ministry of Transport and Communications on November 13 had celebrated the major milestones by Hamad Port of handling two million TEUs (twenty-foot equivalent units) and five million tonnes of general cargo in a record time of less than two years.
The port accomplished another feat in early this year as it celebrated, in March, handling of its first one million TEUs containers.
