Aqaba port handled 15 million tonnes of goods during pandemic crisis — official

AMMAN — The Aqaba port has handled 15 million tonnes of goods, including grains, livestock, cars and general cargo, since the onset of the coronavirus pandemic, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

Acting General Manager of Aqaba Company for Ports Operation and Management Khaled Maaitah said in a press statement on Monday that “the high professionalism of the company's staff in dealing with ships and various types of goods contributed to materialising this achievement and sustaining work at the Aqaba port”.

He added that 1,600 vessels were loaded with various types of goods at the port, highlighting that the company’s revenues in 2020 reached JD64 million.

He said that the silos project is currently undergoing a new expansion to reach a capacity of 200,000 tonnes, with the total cost of the project’s first phase reaching JD58 million.

He indicated that the project will contribute to reducing the berthing duration for ships from 12 days to three days, reducing waiting costs, improving the pace of work, and enhancing the port's competitiveness locally and internationally.

He noted that the Aqaba Development Corporation, the development arm of the Aqaba Economic Zone Authority, launched the second phase of the project with a capacity of 100,000 tonnes, raising the handling capacity to six million tons annually.

This achievement meets three times the Kingdom’s needs for grain, and gives the opportunity for Aqaba to be a centre for re-exporting grains to neighbouring countries, Maaitah said.