Djibouti President inaugurates construction of new Djibouti Terminal

The US$400 million Doraleh Container Terminal (DCT) is DP World's latest project in the Port of Djibouti and will enable the terminal operator to handle an additional 1.5 million TEU (twenty foot equivalent container units) annually.

Also attending the ceremony on the new causeway that will serve the new terminal were Jamal Majid Bin Thaniah, Group CEO of Port and Freezone World (P&F World), which oversees DP World and the Jebel Ali Freezone group, and Mohammed Sharaf, CEO of DP World.

DP World already manages the Port of Djibouti, which is located 11 kilometres away, and has the capacity to handle 10 million tonnes of general cargo and 400,000 TEU per year. DP World also manages the US$130 million Doraleh oil terminal, officially opened in February this year, working closely with oil companies Shell, Mobil, ENOC and Total, commercial and non-commercial customers including the US and French navies, and manager of the facility, Horizon Terminals.

The first phase of the new container terminal will have six Super Post-Panamax gantry cranes and a quay length of 1050 metres upon completion, and is expected to commence operations in late 2008.

Sultan Ahmed Bin Sulayem, Chairman of DP World, commented:

'DP World's continued investment in Djibouti reflects our ongoing commitment to help develop the considerable potential of this country. Djibouti is one of nine key developments we have worldwide and is a vital link in our global network of 51 marine terminals.'

Mr Bin Sulayem also underlined that Dubai World, of which he is also Chairman, had extensive investments in projects outside the port, including the freezone, the airport, roads, real estate developments and hotels.

'We believe in the future of Djibouti,' he said. 'As the economy grows and provides opportunities for the people across a range of sectors, the benefits of a solid infrastructure and long term investment will be realised.'

Jamal Majid Bin Thaniah, Group CEO, P&F World said: 'We have a unique opportunity to contribute to this fast growing emerging economy. The development and management of the Djibouti Freezone as well as the operation and development of the existing and new terminals, is an excellent example of how successful our integrated management model can be. It provides added value to customers and allows them to more efficiently manage their supply chain.'

Mohammed Sharaf, CEO of DP World said: 'For our customers, the development of this new terminal at Doraleh will provide extra capacity and help meet their needs into the future, offering an efficient gateway to the hinterland of East Africa. We recently achieved ISO 28000 security certification here in Djibouti, further underlining the quality of the services we provide.'