(MENAFN- The Peninsula) By Mohammed Osman / The Peninsula
Hailing the inauguration of Hamad Port, Qatari business community has said that the port would help Qatar achieving economic diversification and food security targets.
The Emir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani yesterday patronised the opening of the new Hamad Port as part of Qatar's a broader plan to increase non-petroleum exports and achieve food security and economic diversification in line with Qatar National Vision 2030.
'Having large ships directly coming to Hamad port will reduce transportation cost by 20 to 30 percent, Nasser Mohammed Al Khalidi (pictured), a prominent Qatari businessman told The Peninsula.
'We have to see the inauguration of Hamad Port from two angles: first strategic; not to depend on others' ports and it is an achievement of the Qatar's national vision. Containers with different goods will directly come from India, China, Turkey, Oman and different parts of the world to Qatar rather than docking at Jebel Ali of the UAE where cargo used to be transferred to smaller vessels, Khalidi noted.
'The most important aspect is that it is a sovereign decision which meets logistic needs which can be addressed within one to three months, Al Khalidi added. The second angle, said Al Khalidi, is that officials at the port need to take into account the needs of investors, importers who were depending on transshipment from Jebel Ali to open bank accreditation letters for three months until then their works must be processed in smooth manners. There are also letters of accreditation from the countries exporting directly to Hamad Port, he stressed.
Now there will not be expenses related to discharging, reload and reshipping process from UAE to Qatar (double costs) which was costly and increase prices, Al Khalid outlined adding that there is an Emiri directive to the port management to facilitate needs and ease process of export and re-exports in the new port.
'All extra expenses now will be saved and will positively impact the prices of the commodities which is in the benefit of the consumers, in addition to saving time and efforts, said Al Khalidi.
Hamad Port will have an annual capacity of 7.5 million shipping containers, and separate terminals dedicated to general cargo, cereals, vehicles and livestock. Located in the town of Mesaieed, the port is the largest of its kind in the Middle East with the capacity to receive all types of ships and vessels.
Another Qatari prominent businessman Ahmed Al Khalaf said: 'I call Hamad Port Qatar's Food Security Gate. The inauguration of the port is a great national event which has come on the right time. The port is a hub of food supply and storage, said Al Khalaf, pointing out that this will encourage major food industries in the country not only for local but also for re-exporting.
'The fact that the siege countries need to realize that Qatar has strategic location in the middle of Arab Gulf surrounded with countries have populations of over 400 million, in addition to advanced infrastructures and low cost of energy, thanks to the government subsidies, Al Khalaf highlighted.
'It is golden opportunity for investors to establish industry base for re-exporting because the Qatari market is small and the country has potential for developing industrial projects, he added.
'The port will contribute to reduction of prices, create opportunities and competitiveness because there are storage facilities and logistic services with good facilitation, Al Khalaf stressed.
'Thanks to Allah that Qatar has built largest port in the Middle East with very huge capacity, it is significant leap moved the country from small port to one with world standards, said Eng. Jassim Al Malki, member of the Central Municipal Council (CMC).
Al Malki added: 'We are no more dependent on other's ports, although the port construction started years before the current siege but its opening has become great national event under the siege imposed on Qatar.
'These will make imports and exports much easier and there will be no need for UAE or Saudi ports which was taking long time to get the commodities to reach Qatar, Al Malki said, adding that the port is designed to be used by neighboring countries also as Qatar was planning to strengthen its cooperation with GCC states and link the port to these countries.
'The step will enhance our self reliance policies, free economy and openness to worldwide import and exports, Al Malki stressed.
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