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Satyendra Pathak
Doha
The average monthly arrival of containers at the Hamad Port has increased almost 250 percent after the blockade was imposed on Qatar by the neighbouring countries in June last year, a top official of QTerminals, operator of the first phase of Hamad Port, has said.
Talking to Qatar Tribune on the sidelines of a ceremony to mark the handling of the first one million TEUs (twenty-foot equivalent units) by Hamad Port on Monday, QTerminals Chief Executive Officer Neville Bissett said the average monthly handling of TEUs in the 10-month post blockade period has increased to over 100,000 TEUs from a monthly average of over 40,000 TEUs in the corresponding period before the blockade.
Bissett said that average monthly handling of TEUs may rise in the coming months as Hamad Port positoins itself as a major hub for transshipment in the Middle East region.
Handling one million TEUs in just 14 months is a significant achievement for Hamad Port, he said, adding that the rapid increase in the container handling business might see Hamad Port reach the two million TEUs throughput mark by the end of this year.
Given the operational efficiency and relentless efforts toward holding a leading position among key regional and global ports, he said, Hamad Port is expected to add another one million TEUs in a much shorter period.
"I am confident and very optimistic. What we have seen in the January, February and March this year and what we anticipate in the coming months, we are quite hopeful that the two million mark will be reached before the end of this year. Most probably in September, October or November this year," he said.
Bissett said the ongoing blockade has had little impact on the operations of Hamad Port, except that the way in which goods entered Qatar earlier has changed."Hamad Port is now the main entry point for goods coming to Qatar. This is business as usual. The increase in trading partners has definitely helped Qatar overcome the crisis. Qatar no longer depends on just a few countries for its imports as there is a much more diverse supply of imports available at very competitive prices," he said.
Besides the significant increase in container traffic, Bissett said, the port has also witnessed a significant rise in bulk and break bulk cargo after the blockade.
Emerging as one of the major hubs for transshipment to Kuwait, Iraq and the upper Gulf in a short period of time is one of the major achievements for Hamad Port, he said, adding that planning is ingoing to expand the capacity of the port to serve markets such as the Far East, Europe, Africa and America.
