Port officials told Seatrade Maritime News during a site inspection last week, the first ro-ro vessel is scheduled to arrive 18 December as commecial traffic, initially ro-ros and livestock carriers - will start to reloacte from the existing Doha Port in the city centre from January 2016.
Major excavation works for the new port and flooding of the basin was completed in July, with a total of 12 ship-to-shore cranes manufactured by ZPMC delivered over the summer.
The new Hamad Port, located 25km from Doha, involves three main elements: a new container port with three terminals (CT1,2 and 3), a special economic zone and a naval base.The $7.4bn project - described as the world's largest greenfield port development - forms a vital component of Qatar's plans to prepare for the FIFA World Cup in 2022 and install transportation infrastructure such as new roads and railway, plus hotels, commercial and residentail property. CT1 is slated for completion by end of March 2016.
The entry gates are nearing completion and a soft opening is planned for summe 2016, paving the way for the start of full operations in December next year. Capacity will initially be 2m teu, progressively expanding to 6m teu by 2020.
The Um Al Houl Special Economic Zone, will cover some 33.5k sq m of land and cater to industries such as petrochemicals, logistics and manufacturing.
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