Qatar Ports Management Company (Mwani Qatar) and Qatar Navigation (Milaha) have established a new company, QTerminals, to manage the new Hamad Port in Umm Al-Houl near Mesaieed.

As per the agreement, the new company will be co-owned by Mwani Qatar (51 per cent) and Milaha (49 per cent), and will manage operations at Hamad Port as an independent company with its own board of directors, executives and staff.

The deal was signed by Mwani Qatar CEO Captain Abdulla Al Khanji and Milaha president and CEO Abdulrahman Essa Al-Mannai.

The signing was witnessed by Minister of Transport and Communications Jassim Saif Ahmed Al Sulaiti, chairman of Mwani Qatar, and Sheikh Ali bin Jassim bin Mohammad Al-Thani, chairman of Milaha.

The new Hamad Port will officially take charge of commercial shipments entering and leaving the country from December 1, when it becomes fully operational, it was announced earlier.

All container ships will go to the QR27-billion ($7.41 billion) port as operations at Doha Port wind down.

Hamad Port represents a significant addition to Qatar’s maritime infrastructure and will boast a handling capacity of 7 million containers per year after completion. It will also be connected to Gulf Cooperation Council countries through a road and rail network.

When completed, Hamad Port will include a customs inspection area for rapid cargo clearance, a uniquely designed port control tower at a height of 110 m, a ship inspection platform and multiple maritime facilities, in addition to other utilities such as storage units, mosques, rest areas, medical clinics and the offices required for port operation.

Al Sulaiti said: “This strategic partnership reaps the benefits of several years of strong collaboration and ties between Mwani Qatar and Milaha, which have brought about this common plan for managing Hamad Port, one of the country’s vital megaprojects and which will serve as Qatar’s gateway to world trade.”

He noted that the agreement itself was an accomplishment that further encourages the private sector to be part of strategic partnerships in developmental projects, which in economic terms would reflect positively on the nation and citizens, economically speaking.

The minister also said the Mwani Qatar-Milaha partnership represented a role model for the Qatari private sector to contribute to transportation projects, going beyond prevalent partnerships in building and construction, and ushering in a new era of real operational processes that will help enrich the private sector’s investment philosophy. And this, he added, would contribute to localising applied expertise and technology.

The project reflects the vision of HH the Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani on the importance of supporting the private sector in becoming a constituent element in the national economy, he explained.

“We are confident the new company, established collaboratively by two of Qatar’s leading corporations, will contribute to leveraging the country’s competitiveness among world economies,” he added.

The minister also stated that Hamad Port would be contributing to increasing Qatar’s imports, exports and international maritime trade and would stimulate growth and economic diversification across the region. With that in place, he noted, Qatar would be positioned to become a regional commercial hub and would be well on the road to achieving the objectives of the Qatar National Vision 2030.

For his part, Sheikh Al-Thani said; “Our partnership with Mwani Qatar is a continuation of our longstanding relationship, which will continue to work toward achieving Qatar’s vision of becoming a global trade and logistics hub.”

“Hamad Port is one the world’s largest port development projects. It will herald a new era of uniqueness and pioneering in the area of commercial port development in Qatar and the wider region,” he added.

He went on to say that Hamad Port will support the country’s economic diversification programme, and will play a key role in pushing forward sustainable and comprehensive development in Qatar and the region. - TradeArabia News Service