Jordan Times
Sunday, November 28, 1999
Intl firms bid to handle operations of Aqaba
industrial port
By Mohammad Ben Hussein
AMMAN — Five international firms have qualified to bid on the financing, management, operation and maintenance of a JD18 million industrial port in Aqaba, a senior Transport Ministry official said on Saturday.
The official, who requested anonymity, said that expressions of interest had been solicited from private companies with proven experience in the management of bulk ports and the capacity to finance the purchase and installation of the necessary handling equipment.
The ministry said the eligible firms would receive the tender document in the next few days.
The firms, which will be able to offer their bids early next year, are from the United Arab Emirates, France, Britain, Germany and Australia.
The industrial port project is a part of the government's efforts to prepare Aqaba to meet an ever-increasing volume of imports and exports.
As part of the effort, a tender for the construction of infrastructure for the new port facilities was recently announced, said the official, adding that a contract would be awarded soon.
The construction of the port is expected to be finished within the next two years.
The growth of the Jordanian economy has led to an increase in demand for handling services for in and out-bound bulk shipments at the port.
But the existing facilities are overloaded by the current volume of shipping, and with only one jetty available, the port's bulk facilities are not expected to be able to handle the future traffic.
The ministry recently formulated a detailed plan with specific instructions for achieving the goal of greater private sector participation in the port's development.
"The involvement of the private sector will improve the efficiency of the port, a necessary ingredient in the development of Jordan," said another official. "The greater this involvement becomes, the higher the benefits will be to all parties concerned."
"By raising the level of service that can be provided by the port of Aqaba, the project will contribute significantly to the enhancement of sustainable economic growth and development in the Kingdom," he added.
The port of Aqaba received a major blow in 1991 when sanctions were imposed on Iraq for invading Kuwait. The Kingdom is considered Iraq's main commercial outlet to the rest of the world.