DUBAI : Dubai Ports Authority, Maersk, P&O and a Kuwait-Iraq joint venture have been shortlisted for a $1 billion, 10-year contract to manage and develop five Iraqi ports. In a surprise development, the original tender floated by Iraqi authorities inviting expression of interest, has been withdrawn in favour of a new, more comprehensive version. The original "fell short of specifying the details of the scope of work," said Simon E. White, director of business development for Mushrif Contracting Co.

DAMMAM: The proposed passenger terminal at King Abdul Aziz Port in Dammam will be operated and maintained by the private sector. According to the port director, Naeem Al Naeem, the port authority will float a tender for the passenger berth. The decision may take two months, he said. The Port Authority decided to start a passenger ferry between Dammam and Dubai. Naeem heads a committee finalising the plan which may submit its report in a month, according to port sources.

AMMAN :The Aqaba Special Economic Zone Authority (ASEZA) is expected to announce the name of the winning company for managing the Aqaba container terminal soon, a senior authority official has said. ASEZA's Acting Chief Commissioner Emad Fakhouri said that the authority is negotiating now with the company that submitted the best offer. Fakhouri declined to name the firm, but said: "If every thing goes as scheduled, the name of the company will be announced soon." "If not, ASEZA will start negotiating with the company which submitted the second-best offer," he added

AMMAN: Charges for storing containers at the Aqaba Port will be raised significantly to persuade importers, industrialists and businessmen lift up their cargo quickly, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Industry and Trade Mohammad Halaiqa has said. The higher charges are meant to ease congestion in the container yards surrounding the port area. The minister's announcement came during the opening of a four-day workshop at the Jordan Investment Board to promote major investment sectors.

TRIPOLI :The fall of Saddam Hussein has translated into booming business at the Port of Tripoli, where Iraq-bound car imports have rocketed over the last 10 months. Once viewed as a marginal trade, car shipments to the provincial capital have ballooned by some 700 per cent to 7,000 vehicles per month according to a Tripoli port official. With a seemingly unstoppable demand and vehicle values ranging from $2,000 to $100,000 each, the business has multi-million dollar potential, and traders say it will only increase in the future.

MUSCAT: A giant passenger cruise, Adonia, docked at Salalah Port with 1,776 tourists from various nationalities on board on a short visit to the Sultanate lasting 12 hours. The vessel is on a cruise around the globe. A welcome reception was organised for the passengers of the cruise vessel in the presence of Khalid Bin Musallam Al Rowas, director of tourism, and a number of officials at Salalah Port Services and those concerned with the tourist sector. Visits were arranged for the passengers to a number of tourist and historical sites

ALGIERS: More than 9.1 million tonnes of goods passed through the Port of Algiers in 2003, Algeria’s official news agency cited from Algiers Port Authority statistics. In the first 11 months of 2003, trade at the port reached 926.288 million Algerian dinars ($13.2 million), an 8.9 per cent increase compared to the same period last year. Exports reached AD 1.66 million during the same period, a 26 per cent jump compared to the first 11 months of 2002.

MUSCAT: The Port of Salalah Container Terminal passed another significant milestone in reaching two million TEUs for container ships serviced during 2003, a press release said. The average gross gantry moves per hour (productivity) at the port during the year remained impressive at 30GMPH ensuring that the port of Salalah maintains its reputation as one of the most productive ports in the world. Earlier in the year, the Port of Salalah’s cumulative throughput, since commencing operations in November 1998, exceeded five million TEUs.

A tender to manage and develop Aqaba's containers port was floated by the Aqaba Special Economic Zone Authority (ASEZA), a senior official has said. ASEZA Deputy Chief Commissioner Emad Fakhouri described the step as "strategically very important to Jordan, its economy and its in-transit trade." The move, he indicated, shows the government's keenness to solve the months-old congestion problem which led several international shipping companies to impose "high" surcharges on cargoes bound to and from Aqaba.

MUSCAT: Malik bin Suleiman Al Ma’amari, Oman’s minister of transport and telecommunications, will sign an agreement with Yoshihisa Fujita, director of Japan’s International Co-operation Agency’s (Jica) on the scope of a development study on the Sultanate’s ports. The study is expected to commence early next year. A ten-member study team will engage in the task of studying the activities of the ports, which will formulate national port development strategy in Oman (with the target year of the master plan fixed as 2025) and also to formulate guidelines for the next five years, a development plan in the port sector, commencing in 2006 and running until 2010, the team leader and Jica’s director, Yoshihisa Fujita, has said.

AMMAN: The Zarqa Chamber of Industry has submitted a memorandum to Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Industry and Trade Mohammed Halaiqa stressing the need to end losses of industrialists as a result of congestion at the Aqaba Port. The memorandum indicated that the congestion crisis has prompted international shipping companies to impose $975 extra tariffs on each 40-square-feet-container they carry from and to Aqaba. It said that the unexpected rise in imports to Iraq has aggravated the situation.

AMMAN: The Italian-made fast boat, Princess, which shuttles between Jordanian and Egyptian ports, will shortly resume its "operation between both neighbours" after a minor damage it sustained due to a sudden accident while docking at the Aqaba Port recently. The Jordanian-Egyptian-Iraqi owned Arab Bridge Maritime Company, which operates the vessel, "needs to do some repair to the affected part of the craft," company Chairman Alaa Batayneh, said. The chairman said that the accident occurred due to the bad weather conditions, especially sudden strong winds.

MANAMA: A port expansion by Gulf Industrial Investment Company (GIIC) has now been completed at Hidd. It means the Bahraini iron pellets producer can now accommodate more vessels during unloading and make use of new facilities for handling cargo. The expansion comes in the form of two so-called dolphins - or floating ports - which ships can tie up to near the original jetty. "The new facility will provide more operational flexibility to GIIC and optimise the total time ships dock at the jetty," said chief executive officer Chequer Bou-Habib.

BEIRUT: Nearly a year since Beirut’s port authorities hired consultants to draft a tender to bring in an operator, bidding has yet to start on who will run and manage the $150 million container terminal. The terminal, which has been standing empty since late 2000, is needed to attract transit and trans-shipment cargo, as well as increase capacity at the port, which currently only caters to a stagnant domestic market.  

BEIRUT: Nearly a year since Beirut’s port authorities hired consultants to draft a tender to bring in an operator, bidding has yet to start on who will run and manage the $150 million container terminal. The terminal, which has been standing empty since late 2000, is needed to attract transit and trans-shipment cargo, as well as increase capacity at the port, which currently only caters to a stagnant domestic market.  

AMMAN: The Aqaba Ports Corporation's (APC) 2004 budget will be increased to JD44 million from JD31 million in 2003, the corporation's director general has said.
"The JD13 million increase in APC's budget will be used to upgrade the port's facilities to enable it to cope with the increasing amount of cargoes heading to Jordan and its neighbours through the Kingdom's sole sea outlet," said Director General Saud Srour.  This upgrading is also expected to help Jordan prepare its port to receive more cargoes heading to Iraq during the expected huge reconstruction process.

MANAMA: TOUGH port security measures being introduced in Bahrain next year are expected to cost shipping companies millions of dollars to implement. The new International Ship and Port Facility (ISPS) code will come into effect on July 1 and aims to prevent ships being hijacked and turned into floating bombs by terrorists. A report carried out by the organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) suggests the initial cost for all shipping companies around the world could be $1.279 billion (BD483,462).

MANAMA: GULF waters are to get more protection from pollution, with the introduction next year of a new, state-of-the-art, oil-spill response ship. It is being brought in to expand operations run by the Middle East Navigation Aids Service (MENAS), which has its regional headquarters in Bahrain. The announcement came from MENAS chairman John Gyles, who is based at the company's headquarters in London, during his annual visit to the country. He was speaking as he honoured three of the organisation's outstanding employees at a special ceremony held at its Mina Salman headquarters.

MUSCAT: Construction of a cruise and passenger terminal at Port Sultan Qaboos is underway, according to Mohammed Bin Jawad Suleiman, Ports Services Corporation's board chairman. Addressing a function held in honour of former Ports Services Corporation board members and representatives of shipping companies in the Sultanate, Suleiman said an integrated terminal for handling cruise and passenger ships was being built at berth No. 6 of the port. He said the new facility was part of other development plan, which included construction of perimeter fence, maintenance workshop and port main gates as well as installing weighing scale for trucks inside the port premises

AMMAN: The Aqaba Ports Corporation (APC) has concluded an agreement with a German firm to manufacture two mobile cranes at the cost of $5 million in order to accelerate the loading and unloading procedures at the harbour. APC Director General Saud Srour said the cranes are expected to arrive at the port by Nov. 8 expressing hope that the cranes will end the present containers' congestion at the port. In the past few months, the containers' side of the port dealt with 386 vessels laden with a total of 535 large containers. Such a heavy and unexpected task, forced the authorities to assign three spacious yards near the port to house the containers and the huge number of vehicles imported for the Iraqi market.

AMMAN: Jordan will seek Bulgaria's experience and co-operation for the development of its Aqaba port. This was made clear following the meeting of Bulgaria's Deputy Transport Minister Krassimira Martinova and the Chief Secretary of Jordan's Industry and Trade Ministry. Both officials also ratified an agreement for sea trade shipping between Bulgarian and Jordan ports. "Currently Jordan is one of the gates to Iraq. Most of the commodities used for Iraq's post-war construction pass through the port of Aqaba," the chief secretary said.

AMMAN: International shipping companies have decided to double from this week surcharges imposed less than 10 days ago, on containers heading to or leaving, what they called "the extremely congested Port of Aqaba." The Aqaba Port Corporation (APC) described the decision as "unjustified and one that does not take into consideration the interests of Jordanian economy." Importers and exporters now have to pay an extra $300 instead of $150 on 20-foot containers, and $600 instead of $300 on 40-foot containers bound for, and departing from Aqaba. Shipping companies attributed their decision to the fact that ships still face delays of seven to ten days and sometimes more — a matter which results in increased operational costs for the vessels. "The decision is effective for container ships whose lading bills date from and after Sept. 22," Executive Manager of the Jordan Shipping Agents Association Mohammad Dalabih said.

AMMAN: International maritime companies will be raising the shipping charges effective this week on containers arriving at or leaving the sea port of Aqaba, maritime sources said. A $150 and $300 surcharge will be added to the normal charge for each 20 and 40 feet container respectively, they added.Talal Halawani, an economic expert, said the increase was imposed to cover additional operational cost that companies incur as a result of delays at the port for a period extending to about five days.

ISLAMABAD: The development of an Iranian port in Chabahar would affect the Gwadar
Port's role as the main sea route from the Central Asian Republics, Pakistani embassy in Dushanbe has informed Islamabad. Pakistan has been told that Iran is vigorously pursuing the Chabahar Port with India's assistance, to monopolise trade from Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan, intended for the Gulf and the East. According to documents sent to the Ministry of Communication, almost the entire trade activity from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan intended for the Gulf and the East would be routed through Chabahar instead of Gwadar if the Iranian port materialised.

JEDDAH: Saudi authorities have sent back a ship carrying 57,000 head of Australian sheep after laboratory tests proved that the animals were infected with a contagious disease. Veterinarians at the Jeddah Islamic Port had refused to clear the shipment. The sheep were reportedly affected by stomatitis, inflammation of the mouth. The disease can be transferred to humans through touch and the incubation period of the virus is three to five days. Sheep carrying the disease can be identified by the presence of rashes in areas surrounding the mouth. The most dangerous aspect of the disease is that it spreads very quickly.  

BEIRUT: Lebanon's first "Made in America" trade fair opened in Beirut this week. The fair, at the Beirut Port Export Center, featured around 122 US companies, from fast-food outlets to computer chip manufacturers. According to the Lebanese Ministry of Eeconomy, the United States was the country's fourth trading partner in 2002, after Italy, Germany and France.

Preparations are underway for the construction of a new strategic open sea port at Bubiyan island at a cost of $850 million as several experts are preparing a report to be presented to the Cabinet, reports Al Qabas. Jassem Al Oun, who heads the Divided Zone Agreements and Kuwait Islands and Mega Projects Development team, said developing the northern areas is a strategic aim of his team, emphasising all work in this regard would be accelerated. A study has been initiated based on a decision by the cabinet to construct an alternate port to meet the future demands after the recent political and security developments in the region.

The third Jordanian Businessmen and Investors Conference, which concluded its works on Wednesday, provided the participants with the chance to look into investment opportunities at the Aqaba Special Economic Zone (ASEZ) and the Ports Corporation. Since its launch earlier this week, the conference has worked as a main channel of communication between Jordanian investors and abroad managing to repatriate capital in a number of economic sectors. Aqaba Special Economic Zone Authority Chief Commissioner Akel Biltaji briefed the businesspeople and investors on His Majesty King Abdullah's efforts to promote and develop ASEZ through focusing on the role of the private sector.

  TABA/AQABA: King Abdullah of Jordan and Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak on Sunday inaugurated a strategic pan-Arab gas pipeline that will land Egypt on the list of global gas exporters and save the Kingdom $500 million over the next 10 years. The two leaders attended a brief ceremony at the Egyptian coastal resort of Taba, marking the launch of the Arab Gas Pipeline Project, before cruising to Aqaba by sea, where they witnessed the flow of Egyptian gas into the Aqaba Thermal Power Station.
The 270-kilometre pipeline is the first phase of an inter-regional economic venture, estimated at more than $1 billion, that will later stretch to Syria, Lebanon in 2005 and beyond to Cyprus and Turkey by 2006. A 16-kilometre marine link between Taba and Aqaba, completed in just 18 months, marked the first phase of the project through which 1 billion cubic metres of Egyptian natural gas will be supplied each year.

  AQABA: His Majesty King Abdullah stressed here Sunday the need to complete planned measures to unify customs procedures in Aqaba by the end of the year, to facilitate the smooth flow of goods through this city's port. At a meeting chaired by the Monarch, the King directed concerned authorities to draw up a five-year strategy — put into effect in the next few months — to upgrade the port in consideration of Aqaba's status as a special economic zone. The King also gave directions to accelerate a plan to computerise the port's work, with the first phase finished by year's end and the second and final phase by the end of 2004. His Majesty ordered a solution to the vehicle storage problem at the port, a new and effective handling mechanism and expanding the port's handling and storage facilities as well as quick processing of paperwork belonging to businessman dealing with the facility

  DOHA:  Doha Marine Services (DMS) is expanding its fleet by acquiring four new vessels, as part of its overall expansion. It has recently taken delivery of DMS Conquest, an offshore construction maintenance diving support vessel, from China, costing $14 million. It has also invested $2.5 million in converting its 55-metre-long supply vessel, DMS Champion, at Al Jaddaf. "DMS is expanding its operations throughout the Gulf and beyond. We have plans to open office in Dubai to tap the market. As part of the plan, the company has begun to acquire vessels. DMS is part of Doha Petroleum Construction Co. (Dopet) which has diversified business interests in petroleum, construction and shipping, among others."

AMMAN: Appropriate measures were taken by the authorities in Aqaba to ease congestion of thousands of in-transit vehicles bound for Iraq as the number of cars arriving at the port was beyond the volume that it can handle. “The major step was in increasing the storage capacity for in-transit vehicles from 7,000 to 19,000,” said Mohammed Dalabih, director general of Jordan Shipping Agents Association. The storage capacity was expanded when a plot of land was allocated by the port authorities to accommodate 12,000 vehicles, he indicated. This approach was agreed upon at a meeting held in Aqaba where officials from the Aqaba Ports Corporation, the Aqaba Special Economic Zone and the association sought a solution for thousands of cars that were unloaded at the port or were being shipped.

AMMAN: King Abdullah of Jordan and President Hosni Mubarak of Egypt are set to inaugurate a Red Sea gas pipeline between their two countries on July 27, Jordan's energy minister has said. The two leaders are to officially open the pipeline in Taba, Egypt, before heading to Jordan's Red Sea port of Aqaba for a similar ceremony, Mohammed Batayneh said. The pipeline, which is to deliver Egyptian liquified natural gas (LNG) to Jordan, passes 15km under the Red Sea, linking the two coastal towns of Taba and Aqaba. The Egyptian portion of the pipeline between El-Arish on the Mediterranean and Taba was completed in January. The pipeline will allow Jordan to receive some 1.1 billion cubic metres of LNG per year. It will arrive at a thermal station in Aqaba and be converted into natural gas by the French company Alstom. The pipeline is to be extended through Jordan to Syria and Lebanon, with deliveries expected to start to Syria in 2005.

MUSCAT: TAn agreement has been signed at the headquarters of the Mediterranean Sea Marine Transport Company in Geneva, Switzerland, for the renewal of agreement for using the Sultan Qaboos Port as a central port for reshipping the company’s containers for two more years. Saud Bin Ahmed Al Nahari, executive president of the Port Services Corporation (PSC), signed the agreement on behalf of the corporation while the international operations president signed it for the Mediterranean Sea Marine Transport Company.  The first port-utilisation agreement was signed in Muscat in mid-July 2002.

MUSCAT: Oman plans to build two berths and extend an existing breakwater facility at its port in the southern city of Salalah in a project expected to cost $238 million, a port official said. The official said the expansion would increase handling to three million TEUs from the 1.8 million TEUs now. "Berth 5 and 6 will each have a container terminal of 350 metres long and 16 metres deep and the breakwater will be extended by 2.5 kilometres," he said. The government is expected to invite bids for construction next month and to commission the expansion in 2005.

BAGHDAD: The export sale of Iraq oil was halted following the suspension of the UN oil-for-food programme at the beginning of March shortly before the war. Acting oil ministry chief Thamir Ghadhban has estimated that Iraq could produce 1.2 million barrels per day (bpd) this month and return to pre-war output of 2.4 million bpd by the end of the year, with up to 1.8 million bpd going to export. Meanwhile, Iraq's only deepwater port has reopened to commercial shipping, clearing the way for large-scale imports of consumer goods and the materials needed to repair its war-battered infrastructure. US officials said the opening of Umm Qasr followed dredging operations to clear the harbour of war wreckage, mainly from the eight-year Iran-Iraq war.

MANAMA: Bahrain's government plans to appoint a consultant soon to finalise the establishment of a BD 100 million ($265 million) company to manage the two ports in Bahrain (Mina Salman and the Khalifa bin Salman Port), Bahrain Tribune quoted the Kingdom's Minister of Finance and National Economy as saying. The minister said the consultants for the privatisation of both ports, in addition to the Ministry of Electricity and Water would be appointed soon

BAGHDAD: The US Agency for International Development (USAID) has confirmed that the Iraqi seaport of Umm Qasr is under civilian administration. USAID contractor, Stevedoring Services of America (SSA), now officially operates the seaport, which is the main entryway for cargo, including humanitarian coming into the country. The Washington-based company assumed control of the port from the British 17th Regiment in a small ceremony as the mv Irazou docked at the port, carrying 14,600 metric tonnes of bagged rice for the people of Iraq. This is the first reconstruction project in Iraq to be transferred from military to civilian administration

MANAMA: Asry has become the first ship repair yard in the Middle East to obtain the ISO-14001 certification on environment from Det Norske Veritas (DNV), the Norwegian certification authority. Asry chairman Eid Abdulla Yousif received the certificate from DNV District Manager Hakon Mundal. Present at the ceremony were Asry chief executive Mohammed Al Khateeb, production manager Chris Potter, commercial manager Fawzi Al Gosaibi, technical and quality assurance manager Franciszek Magnowski, procurement department head Fawzi Hammad and public relations consultant Ahmed Al Rayes

AMMAN: The Aqaba Ports Corporation (APC) has slashed tariffs it charges on in-transit cargo bound for Iraq through the country's sole Port of Aqaba. A senior port official said that the reduction will range between 25 to 75 per cent off regular tariffs. The step came to attract more Iraq-bound humanitarian aid through Aqaba, said APC Director General Saud Srour. The port authority, he said, has taken other measures to ensure it can cope with whatever it will receive of in-transit cargo heading to Baghdad. "Among the measures, the port's handling capacity was raised by 100 per cent, meaning the port can now deal with 30 million tonnes of cargo annually," he

AJMAN: The Arab Heavy Industries has reported said 2002 net profits rose eight per cent to Dh10.88 million from the previous year. The shipyard said overall revenues rose by 209 per cent to Dh65.09 million, and total assets grew to Dh133.24 million from Dh128.86 million, the Gulf News has reported. The earnings per share rose to Dh16.18 from Dh14.99 during the period under review. A dividend of 11 per cent has been approved. Chairman Obaid Ali Al Muhairi said the yard repaired 179 vessels during the year as well as two offshore jack-up rig repairs. Arab Eagle Marine Engineering, the afloat repairs division, booked a Dh2.3 million profit.

ISKENDERUN: Turkey's Iskenderun port looks set to play a vital role in post-war reconstruction in Iraq, recovering some of the vitality which it lost as sanctions wiped out trade with Iraq after the 1991 Gulf War. When Ankara refused to allow US troops to deploy in Turkey, the Mediterranean city appeared left out of a role in Iraq. "We expect big involvement for Iskenderun in reconstruction in Iraq. Figures for the volume of work are as high as $100 billion and we estimate 20 per cent of that to be channelled through here. We are ready for it," said Ahmet Temel Suerdem, local manager for the Turkish Chamber of Shipping  

A second port in the south of Iraq within the next three weeks is likely to act as a gateway for more aid supplies into the country. But Royal Navy Rear Admiral David Snelson says it could be two months before Iraq resumes its oil exports. He said the United Nations sanctions against Iraq have been "lifted informally" and there are no longer restrictions on vessels entering the port of Umm Qasr. "The sanctions have been lifted informally," Rear Admiral Snelson has been quoted as saying. "In terms of allowing vessels into port there are no restrictions. But there are still warships patrolling the Northern Gulf."

MANAMA: Arab Shipbuilding and Repair Yard (Asry) says it has seen a drastic drop in business on the eve of the outbreak of war, with orders down by $3 million (BD1.1 million) in just one day. Board Chairman Eid Abdulla Yousif said that the ship repair company was being hit hard but expected a pick up in sales soon.  "Because of the nature of the business, Asry will be very much affected by the war," he said.

JEDDAH: Rating for cargo war risks in the Arabian Gulf ports and places North of 28 degrees has been brought down 48 hours, after it was revised upwards. Toby Sizeland, the Regional Marketing and Marine Manager of Norwich Union - Middle East, welcomed the reduced rating levels. He was optimistic that there may be further reductions soon, provided the containment of the war arena continues to be in Iraq itself. As per the London-based Cargo War Risks Rating Committee, Kuwait will carry a rating of 1.5 per cent for both sea and air sending. It was 2.5 per cent earlier. Rating for Saudi Arabia was revised downwards to 0.75 per cent, from 0.95 percent, just 48 hours ago, reported the Gulf News.

TUNIS: The Tunisian government will select a bank later this month as an adviser for tenders on two port expansion schemes worth 130 million dinars ($99.54 million), a government official said. The first port expansion project involves building a merchandise terminal at Tunis Rades port, the North African largest port, at an estimated cost of 100 million dinars. The government also has a second project to build a harbour for yachts at La Goulette port, also located in Tunis, said the official. That project is worth 30 million dinars.  

MANAMA: After arriving at Port Sultan Qaboos in Muscat for a day and visiting Khor Fakkan and Dubai in the UAE, the luxury cruise ship MS Christopher Columbus, owned by Hapag-Lloyd Container Line, with 138 German tourists returns to Muscat on March 9 with a new set of 250 tourists on board, after a passenger turnaround in Dubai. It is scheduled to reach Salalah on March 11. The cruise liner's local shipping agent is Bhacker Haji Abdullatiff Fazul. The sightseeing trips are handled by Zubair Tours. 

TUNIS: American oil exploration and production company Pioneer Natural Resources is planning exploration drilling in Tunisia during 2003. The firm expects capital spending in 2003 to reach up to $550 million, spent in Tunisia, as well as in the Gulf of Mexico, the onshore Gulf Coast area, Alaska, Canada and Gabon. Approximately 22 per cent of the company’s 2003 capital budget is allocated to Africa

MANAMA: THE Arab Shipbuild-ing and Repair Yard (Asry) expects to achieve new ISO certification in the next three months. The company was the first shipyard in the world to apply for ISO 14001 almost two years ago. It hopes to accomplish the award by May as part of its drive to protect the environment.
"Asry is in the final stages of preparation to receive its ISO 14001 certification," said a statement. "Compliance with the world renowned  environmental management system expected this year will be another step in the yard's commitment to the protection of Bahrain's environment."

YEMEN: The World Bank has approved a $23 million credit to boost the investment climate, encourage growth and create jobs in Yemen’s port cities of Aden, Hodeidah and Mukalla. The loan is the first in a three-phase initiative to develop Yemen’s coastal cities over a period of 12 years at a total cost of $96 million. The first phase of the Port Cities Development Programme will centre on Aden, Yemen’s commercial hub, whose strategic location at the tip of the Arabian Peninsula once made it the second busiest port in the world. The programme will begin with small-scale infrastructure investments, such as improving facilities at a local fish market and road works at an industrial estate, to fuel small business growth and build linkages to Aden’s transport facilities. Training and investment planning will begin simultaneously in both Hodeidah and Mukalla.

MUSCAT: Salalah Port Services (SPS) signed an agreement with W. J. Towell Computer Services for Adaytum e-planning solution, the industry’s first proven, scalable web-based solution for rapid-value Enterprise Performance Planning (EPP) that combines the best of business planning and performance.  Adaytum is the global EPP solutions that enable companies to model, build, analyse, and report/measure real-time business plans that span all key processes of the company. The government and Salalah Port Services signed a new 30-year concession agreement appointing SPS as the manager and operator of the Conventional Cargo Port acting as the Port Authority on behalf of the government. 

TEHRAN: Iran, India and Afghanistan have held extensive parleys to try to open alternative transit routes into Afghanistan. India's Minister of State for External Affairs Digvijay Singh, who led the Indian team for the two-day trilateral meeting in Tehran, said the parties discussed ways to operationalise routes from Chabahar, Melak, Zaranj and Delaram. The Zabul-Zaranj-Dilaram route, which connects Iran's Sistan-Baluchistan province to Nimruz, Farah, Hilmund and Kandhar provinces in Afghanistan, is the new transit route between Iran and Afghanistan. The route, which will soon be operational, has many advantages, one of which is that it shortens the distance from Iran to the southern provinces of Afghanistan by 800 kilometres.    

AMMAN: Jordan has added storage facilities that can hold at least four weeks' supply of oil in case supplies are cut off because of war in neighbouring Iraq, Energy Minister Mohammad Ali Al Batayneh has said. Batayneh said the government has constructed an unspecified number of land storage facilities. He did not say what their capacity was. Jordan has also bought a fuel ship that can store up to 300,000 metric tonnes of oil - enough to cover demand for "at least four weeks." The ship docked three months ago at Jordan's port of Aqaba, 350 kilometres south of Amman. Jordan reportedly bought the vessel for $9 million.

RABAT: UK’s Halcrow Group has won the consultancy contract for the Tangier-Atlantic Port project. The contract includes the design, awarding contracts and concessions with the newly formed Tangier-Mediterranean Special Agency (TMSA). Morocco has short listed seven groups of 15 international companies for the first phase construction of the $1 billion port  

CAIRO: Private investors will soon be invited to manage Egyptian ports. They will also be offered incentives to purchase commercial vessels. The Egyptian Ministry of Transport will retain ownership of the national ports, reported Al Alam Al Yaum. A French business delegation, headed by Transport Minister Gilles de Robien, met Egyptian Prime Minister Atef Ebeid last week and discussed modernisation plans for Egypt’s shipping ports. 

MUSCAT: Jubail Commercial Port saw an increase in the number of vessels and the volume of cargo handled during the first seven months of 2002, compared with the same period of last year. Figures posted on the Saudi Ports Authority website said the number of vessels calling at the Saudi port rose to 171 from 115 and cargo handling volumes rose to 2.16 million tonnes from 1.06 during the period under review.

DAMMAM: Sixteen Arab countries are planning a joint shipping line to increase regional maritime co-operation, a Jordanian port official has announced. The new company is expected to link north African ports in Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia and Libya to Lebanon, Syria, Egypt and Jordan's only port, Aqaba, said Saud Srour, the head of Jordan's port authority. The joint line will also provide shipping services through the Red Sea to Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Dubai, in the UAE, and to Iraq, Srour said. He gave no timetable for when the company would begin operations. 

MUSCAT: Bahrain has extended a bid deadline for a contract to build a sewage treatment plant to serve the Khalifa Bin Salman port and the industrial area on Hidd island, it has been reported. A total of 700 hectares will be reclaimed to provide a corridor for the deepwater port, an access roadway and an area for industrial development. In Phase 1, the port will be constructed and basic infrastructure will be provided over about one third of the area. When completed, the project will provide a modern port for containers, general cargo, dry bulk and roll-on-roll-off (ro-ro) traffic. The adjacent industrial area will be split into two areas; one for local industry and the other for a free trade zone.