Aqaba, Jordan – In line with the port master plan, Aqaba Container Terminal (ACT), the Kingdom’s main shipping hub for the Red Sea market has received two Ship-To-Shore (STS) cranes to address market demand.
APM Terminals CEO, Kim Fejfer was in Aqaba to meet with customers and port leaders as part of the port expansion project and added “We believe Aqaba’s attractiveness will play a much larger role in global supply chains. It’s location, market and cost-effective, high productivity operations create a clear edge for shippers.”
The STS cranes can handle 18 row post-panamax vessels and perform 30 moves per hour, offering shipping lines cost savings through higher productivity and port capacity. Aqaba Container Terminal CEO, Klaus Laursen commented “We’ve been working closely with shipping lines to serve their needs for port infrastructure, technology and service levels suited to their market ambitions.
Aqaba Container Terminal is a joint venture with the APM Terminals Global Terminal Network and the Aqaba Development Corporation. In December 2009, the Aqaba Container Terminal announced a terminal expansion project, including a 460 meter extension of the quay, to increase annual container throughout capacity to 2 million TEUs. The Port’s 2009-2013 action plan calls for capital expenditure of $235 million USD, bringing total investment since 2006 to $335 million USD. The 500,000 square meter (124 acre) facility will double its wharf length to 1000 meters. Despite the severe drop-offs in container traffic worldwide due to the global financial crisis, ACT saw container traffic grow by 25% during the first three quarters of 2009. In 2008, container volume at the port surged by 42% to approximately 600,000 TEUs.
Shadi Al Majali, CEO of the Aqaba Development Company (ADC) and Chairman of Aqaba Container Terminals Board, said: “Investing in developing the infrastructure and technology is imperative to ensure our port is the business hub of choice for the logistics and transport sector serving the MENA region and Kingdom as a whole. “The ADC - APM Terminals joint venture has proven to be a shining example of a successful public-private partnership – one that is quickly redefining the logistical landscape of Aqaba and prosperity of the Kingdom.”
