DP World, Somaliland open Berbera container terminal

Dubai-based logistics company DP World and the Government of Somaliland have inaugurated a new container terminal at Berbera Port.

The opening on 24 June marked the completion of the first phase of the port’s expansion as part of its development into a major regional trade hub to serve the Horn of Africa.

The event also included a symbolic ground-breaking for the new Berbera Economic Zone, the first phase which is under construction.

Specifically, the new container terminal with a deep draft of 17 meters, a quay of 400 meters and three ship to shore (STS) gantry cranes, can handle the largest container vessels in operation today, and increases the port’s container capacity from current 150,000 TEUs to 500,000 TEUs annually.

The terminal also includes a container yard with eight rubber tyred gantry cranes (RTGs). A new port One Stop Service Centre is also currently being built and will be ready in quarter three this year, according to DP World.

DP World has committed to investing up to $442 million to develop and expand Berbera Port, and with the first phase now complete, Ahmed bin Sulayem, CEO of DP World, also announced that work is already underway to further expand the port in a second phase.

This includes extending the new quay from 400 to 1,000 metres, and installing a further seven STS gantry cranes, increasing the total from three to 10, enabling the port to handle up to two million TEUs a year, and multiple large container vessels at the same time.

“The completion of the first phase has made our vision of establishing Berbera with its strategic location into a major trade hub in the region a reality. With the new terminal, along with the second phase of expansion and economic zone along the Berbera corridor, we are now firmly positioned to further develop and grow our economy through increased trade, attracting foreign direct investment and creating jobs,” Muse Bihi Abdi, President of Somaliland, said, commented.

DP World Berbera, which began operations at the port in March 2017, has since increased volumes by 35 percent and vessel productivity by 300 percent, and reduced container vessel waiting time from four to five days, to only a few hours.