Djibouti
Djibouti has opened its new 690 hectare mega port with world-class facilities and equipment manufactured by Chinese firm ZPMC.
The $590 million Doraleh Multipurpose Port project started in 2015 was jointly financed by Djibouti Ports and Free Zones Authority (DPFZA) and China Merchant Holding (CMHC) to connect Asia, Africa and Europe.
The port is one of four new ports in the Horn of Africa nation co-funded by China to establish Africa’s largest free-trade zone that can handle $7 billion of goods every year, a statement by the port authority said.
The bulk terminal of the Doraleh port can handle 2 million tonnes of cargo a year and offers space to store 100,000 tonnes of fertilizer, grains and warehouses for other goods, the statement added.
The break bulk terminal can also handle 6 million tonnes of cargo per year with 40,000 slots for vehicles at the RO-RO terminal.
“With this new world-class infrastructure, Djibouti confirms its position as a major trading hub for the continent. We are proud to show the world our capacity to deliver major infrastructure projects – some of the most technologically advanced on this continent,” Aboubaker Omar Hadi, chairman of the Djibouti Ports and Free Zones Authority (DPFZA) said at the opening ceremony on Wednesday attended by Djiboutian President Ismail Omar Guelleh and Somali President Mohammed Abdullahi.
President Mohamed Abdullahi attends with his #Djibouti counterpart Ismail Guelleh the inauguration of the modern port of #Doraleh.#Somalia pic.twitter.com/32ySqgQ3Z8
— Foreign Affairs (@MofaSomalia) May 24, 2017
Djibouti port is the main pointof entry for goods from Asia, and also serves landlocked Ethiopia which recently opened the Chinese funded 752 kilometre-Addis Ababa-Djibouti railway that links to the port.
Want to see how equipments interact during vessel operations
— DP WORLD Doraleh (DPWorld_Doraleh) April 23, 2017DPWorld_Doraleh
.Whatch out this time-laps.#Djibouti #Shipping #Port #Ethiopia pic.twitter.com/S8Ga5l2PRc
01:50
BRICS ministers urge global 'rebalancing' as Putin looms large
01:00
Djibouti and France launch review of their defense agreement
Go to video
China denies hacking Kenyan government amid debt strain
Go to video
Europe dumps 90% of used clothes in Africa & Asia -Report
Go to video
China's global influence looms over Harris trip to Africa
01:22
Global leaders at conference in China warn on growing geopolitical competition