‘Logistics city’ to turn Aqaba into international hub

AMMAN — Aqaba’s “logistics city” project, which is expected to open within a couple of months, will enable the port city, 330km south of the capital, to become an international logistics hub for the business community, stakeholders said on Sunday.

Located next to Aqaba’s new port, the Golden Triangle Logistic City will provide “comprehensive services” to investors and businesses, including shipping, storage, loading, packaging, transporting and customs, the project’s CEO, Mohammad Shwaikini, said in an e-mailed statement.

The JD20 million project comprises a 260,000-square-metre building and additional 140,000-square-metre areas for customs services that will make the logistic city “the biggest” project of its kind in the region, according to the statement.

Developed by a group of private companies in cooperation with the state-run Aqaba Development Corporation (ADC), the project will work in coordination with all the concerned private and public stakeholders and partners in order to maximise the benefits of the country’s strategic location.

The project seeks to turn regional challenges and instabilities into possible opportunities to provide for the county’s growing population and to support reconstruction efforts in war-torn countries through Aqaba’s ports.

The official inauguration of the city, was intended to take place on January 30, 2017 to mark His Majesty King Abdullah’s birthday, but was delayed until further preparations are implemented, the ADC’s spokesperson, Khalil Farrayeh, said over the phone.

The ADC was launched in 2004 by the Aqaba Special Economic Zone Authority and the government.

It owns Aqaba’s seaport, airport and strategic parcels of land, as well as the development and management rights for these assets, in addition to key infrastructure and utilities, according to its website.