RAK Ports, the government body that oversees the seaports of Ras Al Khaimah, has announced the opening the first of two new deepwater berths constructed at Saqr Port, during the recent SeaTrade Maritime Middle East 2018, held in Dubai, UAE.

The deep-water berth project at Saqr Port has been ongoing since mid-2017 and is one of the largest engineering initiatives to have taken place in the northern emirates in recent years, said a statement.

The first berth was completed earlier in October this year and is now fully operational, a fact which was both widely publicised and discussed by the attendees of SeaTrade Maritime Middle East 2018.

Captain Cliff Brand, chief executive officer of RAK Ports, said: “The opening of our first new berth at Saqr Port significantly increases the capacity of Saqr Port, which already handles in excess of 55 million tonnes of cargo per year, and with the second new berth scheduled to complete in March 2019 we envision significant growth in the number of vessel and cargo movements through Saqr Port in future years, consolidating Saqr Port’s status as one of the region’s leading bulk-handling ports.”
 
“The event is the ideal environment in which to publicise the new berth opening and the opportunities we can now offer to our colleagues in the maritime industry, and the timing of the event is ideal given that it very closely coincides with the operational completion and launch of phase one of the project,” he added.
 
The opening of the new berth is just the latest in a series of maritime innovations within RAK Ports.

Earlier this year, Ras Al Khaimah Port opened its brand new, state-of-the-art cruise terminal, specially designed to accept boutique cruise vessels and adding to Ras al Khaimah’s impressive array of tourism assets.

Additionally, the RAK Ports Training Institute, which was first launched in 2017, has expanded its programme to over 20 courses, offering accredited classroom-based and practical training in maritime, industrial and related subjects, it stated. – TradeArabia News Service