Al Jabri and Dr Al Futaisi, Minister of Transport and Communications and Chairman of Board of Directors of Port of Duqm Company, signed on behalf of The Sultanate of Oman and by Marc Vanbelle on behalf of the Port of Antwerp. Princess Astrid, the Representative of the King Philip of Belgium, visited the Port of Duqm, accompanied by Dr Ahmed bin Mohammed al Futaisi, Minister of Transport and Communications and Yahya bin Saeed bin Abdullah al Jabri, Chairman of the Special Economic Zone Authority at Duqm (SEZAD), and her delegation currently visiting the Sultanate. Dr Al Futaisi, said in a statement that “this visit is a major step in the development of Duqm Port as the comprehensive layout of the economic zone in Al Duqm was designed with a total area of about 250 hectares as a first phase focusing on the industries of metallurgy and those associated to mining as the port is close to mines and quarries.” Princess Astrid and Al Jabri laid the foundation stone of the first phase of the industrial zone in Duqm and inaugurated the logistical services complex at Duqm Port.
This inauguration is a real breakthrough for important projects in Duqm that would contribute to the diversification of the national economy and be one of the key drivers for the trade with the nations of the world, and also contribute to increase the movement of goods to and from the Al Duqm.
Three key agreements signed between Port of Antwerp and Port of Duqm
Concession on future port of Tibar in Timor-Leste expected to be announced in May
According to local press reports some companies pre- selected by the government of Timor-Leste (East Timor) include Portuguese-Belgian consortium Mota-Engil Ambiente e Serviços, Mota-Engil Engenharia e Construção and Besik Group, UK company Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Company (P&O), a subsidiary of Dubai group DP World do Dubai, and International Container Terminal Services Inc of the Philippines plus the Bolloré Consortium from France. The selection commission rejected four proposals that failed to reach the technical or financial criteria. Two of these were from Chinese companies, one from Australia and one from Indonesia. With estimated required investment expected to be between US$300 million and US$400 million the PPP with the Timor-Leste government includes a 30-year concession for construction, operation and maintenance of the port of Tibar. According to the tender document the Timor-LEste government wants construction of the port of Tibar to be concluded and ready for operations in 2016 or 2017. The port’s cargo handling capacity is expected to be 1 million tons per year and it should also be able to receive commercial and passenger ships. The project also includes construction of a road between the capital city, Dili, and Tibar, about 10 km away, a breakwater, a variety of facilities and drainage systems.
ESPO welcomes first reading agreement on Clean Fuel Strategy
“We would like to congratulate the negotiators for reaching this agreement. European ports and stakeholders now have a clear view of what is expected from them and can start or continue working towards that goal. The obligations foreseen in this Directive imply quite some investments and planning for the port authorities and port industry. We are convinced that this Directive together with the funding opportunities that will be offered under the forthcoming TEN-T calls will enhance the use of cleaner fuels in maritime transport in a realistic way. We also believe that a lot of ports will not wait for 2025 to meet the obligations of this Directive”, says ESPO’s Secretary-General Isabelle Ryckbost.
The two issues of importance to ports in this Directive are the framework for the supply of shore side electricity and the obligations as regards the provision of refuelling points for LNG in ports.
On shore side, Member States must ensure that the need for shore-side electricity supply for inland waterway vessels and sea-going ships in maritime ports is assessed in their national policy frameworks. Such shore-side electricity supply shall be installed, as a priority in ports of the TEN-T Core Network, and in other ports, by 31 December 2025, unless there is no demand, the costs are disproportionate to the benefits, including environmental benefits.
As regards the LNG refuelling points, Member States must ensure that an appropriate number of refuelling points for LNG are put in place at maritime ports to enable LNG inland waterway vessels or sea-going ships to circulate throughout the TEN-T Core Network by 31 December 2025 at the latest. Member States must cooperate with neighbouring Member States where necessary to ensure adequate coverage of the network
Coming Soon – New Truck Scrapping Program at Port of Seattle
This program, which is partially funded by a federal grant, is expected to provide up to $20,000 to owners who scrap old drayage trucks and replace them with trucks with model-year 2007 or newer engines. The current level of funding will provide incentives for approximately 160 trucks. This project is expected to run through mid-2015, or until funds are depleted. The program and application processes are currently being designed. The port also is investigating other financing and assistance programs to help truck owners meet the Clean Truck Program requirements.
Truck Requirements
On January 1, 2018, all drayage trucks entering Port of Seattle container terminals will be required to have model year 2007 or newer engines, or meet 2007 federal emission standards.