Doha, December 27 (QNA) - HE Prime Minister and Minister of Interior Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khallifa Al-Thani visited Al-Ruwais Port on Thursday.

His Excellency received a brief on the work progress of the port and the phases that have been completed. His Excellency also listened to explanations on the development plans for the facilities, harbors and berths taking place in Al-Thakhira, Al-Khor and Al-Wakrah ports.

HE the Prime Minister and Minister of Interior was accompanied by HE Minister of Transport and Communications Jassim bin Saif Al Sulaiti, who is also Chairman of Mwani Qatar, as well as representatives of the senior management of Mwani Qatar.

HE the Minister of Transport and Communications said the second expansion of Al-Ruwais Port which was launched today, includes 156,000 square meters of storage space and is a new addition to the port and will triple its capacity, where it is now able to receive and export about 20,000 containers per year compared to about a 1,000 containers in previous years.

In a press conference following the tour around the port, HE Al Sulaiti said that the port has become a source of pride due to the number of vessels, trade flow and the import and export operations which pass through. His Excellency added that it has become a vital contributor to the economic development and an important player in Qatar's renaissance due to the comprehensive development taking place recently, making it ready to receive various kinds of vessels and goods.

His Excellency said that since the launch of its first phase in January 2015, the port was able to achieve significant steps which have played an important role in meeting the increasing needs of the domestic market of food and fresh goods and others, in addition to its important role in meeting the requirements of different projects being implemented by the State of Qatar in Al Shamal.

HE Al Sulaiti said one of the achievements is the Ruwais Port Market which sees commercial traffic and a great variety of goods and products that arrive daily on vessels that visit the port constantly. This provides additional product options for citizens and residents.

His Excellency said the new expansion will serve the port for 10 years further as infrastructure is being developed at the traditional fishing port, which is expanding to add 300 berths and is expected to be complete by 2020 with all services needed for fishermen. His Excellency confirmed that Al-Ruwais port expansion was one of the necessities, which made the port an economic zone with integrated storage areas and a market for the supply of goods that is a pillar of the macro economy.

HE Al Sulaiti noted to the third expansion phase which will be completed in a year and a half and aims to deepen the navigational channel of Al-Ruwais Port which helps in receiving vessels with larger cargo. His Excellency said providing integrated inspection platforms which extend to the back of the port market and cover main gates for the entrances and exits, has made the port global rather than only local. 

For his part, Mwani CEO Capt. Abdullah Al Khanji said that the port was able to secure a large range of the local market needs of foodstuffs, building materials and other goods since the imposition of the unjust siege on the state of Qatar, thus strengthening its status as a vital regional trade port in the region. 

He stressed that Mwani Qatar, in accordance with the strategic plan of the Ministry of Transport and Communication, would consolidate its achievements by providing safe and ideal solutions to its customers to achieve a stable and reliable supply chain to meet the growing needs of the local market at all times and in all circumstances.

He pointed that the 165 thousand-square-meters second phase of expansion of the port would greatly help in the flow of goods from the ships directly to the storage area. It will also help in facilitating the process loading and storing the goods into an integrated storage area, in addition to establishing a sophisticated customs platform that helps increase the volume of goods and handling. 

Al Khanji said that Al-Ruwais has played a major role during the siege contributing to the processes of importation and exportation. 

On the capacity of Al-Ruwais port, Captain Al Khanji said that There is no problem in receiving more than one million tons every year, adding that the port of Ruwais can receive all kinds goods such as cars, foodstuffs and others, pointing out that the second expansion of the port will be positively reflected on the suppliers and exporters in the country, explaining that all facilities and berths in the ports of Al-Thakhira, Al-Wakrah Ruwais, will be completed in 2020. 

Development at Al-Ruwais Port began in 2014. A plan was put in place to develop the port in 3 stages and to develop 6 berths to receive various types of vessels and commercial goods. The first and second phases have been completed in full and the third and final phase is being completed, as it includes the expansion and deepening of the port basins to 10 meters, expansion of the basin and the extension of the dock, for the port, to meet the international standards and specifications required to receive various types of ships. 

Al-Ruwais Port, the second commercial port, is located at the northern tip of Qatar. The port plays the role of an additional access facility to promote the regional commercial shipments and to revive and invigorate the economy of the northern part of Qatar. 

Besides the usual handling of general cargoes, the port is now handling the increased demand of foodstuff and other commodities. Al Ruwais port provides a ready solution by acting as gateway for fresh commodities from neighboring countries. These also included frozen and chilled commodities arriving in reefer containers. 

Al-Ruwais Port has witnessed recently substantial improvements by Mwani Qatar in an effort to rehabilitate and align it with international ports standards. The navigation channel at Ruwais Port is dredged to 5 meters, new docks are built at 7 meters depth and six marine berths constructed at a combined total length of 1414 meters, to be able to accommodate commercial vessels. 

The navigation channel and port docks will be further expanded and dredged to reach 10 meters depth during the final stage of Al-Ruwais Port upgrade project. This will facilitate the entry of all small and medium ships and cruise ships, in addition to further trade expansion with neighboring countries. (QNA)