Dubai-based port operator DP World has agreed a deal with the Somali state of Puntland to expand and upgrade the port of Bosaso.
The 12-month project will install a 150m quay and repair an existing 215m quay, starting in the new year.
DP World will also add a 3,000-sq-m container yard and a 4,000-sq-m container stripping yard. The gate area to the port will also be upgraded to improve access control.
The upgraded port will be able to handle feeder vessels from Dubai and other regional hubs.
The Puntland government also wants to turn Bosaso into a base for dhow-based transport along the Somali coast.
Ahmed Yaasiin Saalah, Puntland’s minister of ports, said in a press statement: “The expansion and upgrade of the Port of Bosaso is key to Puntland’s economic growth, which will benefit not just the people of the state, but also Somalia and the Horn of Africa.
“It will ensure the region is further integrated into the global trade ecosystem, as a bigger, more efficient port with the ability to receive container vessels, will facilitate increased trade.”
Suhail Al Banna, CEO and Managing Director, Middle East and Africa, said: “DP World has a lot of experience in the development and operation of ports and terminals, not just around the world, but also in Africa. We will bring all our expertise and capability to the project, to support the Government’s vision for the port as an enabler for economic growth. I would like to thank the Government of Puntland for partnering with us on this exciting project.”
The agreement follows DP’s $1bn expansion of Berbera port and the associated development of an economic corridor into Ethiopia (see further reading).
