Doha: Qatar’s ports have witnessed a huge rise in cargo handling in April, demonstrating that the ports are playing a vital role in ensuring smooth supply of goods in these exceptional circumstances.
Hamad Port, Ruwais Port and Doha Port have registered around 250 percent increase in general cargo handling in April, compared to same month of the previous year.
“Mwani Qatar ports handled 137,445 tons of General Cargo in April 2020, a 247 percent increase compared to the same period of 2019,” Mwani Qatar said on its official twitter account.
Hamad Port, Ruwais Port and Doha Port handled 110,341 Twenty-Foot Equivalent Units (TEUs) containers; 25,435 livestock heads; 19,870 tonnes building materials and 4,705 units of vehicles during last month. Total 224 ships docked at these ports during April.
Hamad Port, Qatar’ gateway to world trade, occupied major share in the total cargo handling. The port handled 109,407 TEUs containers and 135,893 break-bulk cargo in April. It also handled 25,000 livestock heads and 4,685 units of vehicles during the month. Total 127 vessels docked at the port last month.
Hamad Port is helping in diversifying country’s economy. Along with general cargo traffic, the port handles a variety of specialist imports including livestock, automobiles, and bulk grain.
Hamad Port, Ruwais Port and Doha Port had handled 112,730 Twenty-Foot Equivalent Units (TEUs) containers; 131,472 tonnes general cargo; 59,601 livestock heads; 41,554 tonnes building materials and 6,088 units of vehicles during March, according to Mwani Qatar.
The ports handled 85,916 tonnes of general cargo; 5,750 units of vehicles and 85,643 livestock heads in February, this year.
These ports handled over 50 percent more vehicles in January this year compared to same month in 2019. Qatari ports are functioning smoothly despite challenges posed by the outbreak of COVID-19.
“As part of the efforts to limit the spread of the COVID-19 and to ensure the safety of our employees, customers and partners, sanitizing walkthrough equipment were installed in Hamad Port, Al Ruwais Port and Mwani Qatar’s administrative buildings,” said Mwani Qatar on its official twitter account. Mwani Qatar, in coordination with the Ministry of Public Health and relevant authorities, has implemented series of measures to limit the spread of coronavirus in the ports which will not only keep the workforce safe, but will also ensure uninterrupted supply of goods in the country.
The measures include sanitisation of containers, installing thermal cameras, submission of COVID-19 disclosures and making workforce at the port aware about how to limit spread of the virus.
