Hamad Port’s Container Terminal 2 (CT2) welcomed the arrival of the first vessel, as planned, yesterday.

His Excellency the Minister of Transport and Communications Jassim Seif Ahmed Al Sulaiti was present on the occasion of the ship’s arrival.

The vessel was loaded with the first shipment of rubber-tyred gantry cranes (RTGs) for vertical container transportation.

The RTGs will be installed on the CT2 quay directly to be used in the initial operation of Container Terminal 2, the Ministry of Transport and Communications (MoTC) said in a statement.

During his visit, HE the Minister inspected the progress of work at the terminal. He was briefed on the latest developments in building and construction works including the areas of the project already completed.

The development of the CT2 terminal is based on four phases, the MoTC statement adds.

The full operation of Phases 1 and 2 is to begin before the end of 2022, which will boost the port’s capacity to 3 million TEUs per year.

TEU stands for Twenty-Foot Equivalent Unit, which can be used to measure a ship's cargo carrying capacity. The dimensions of one TEU are equal to that of a standard shipping container that is 20ft long and eight feet tall.

Phases 3 and 4 of the terminal development, which will be activated later, will further raise the port’s operational capacity according to the local market’s needs.

The CT2 operation will boost Hamad Port’s ranking as the most updated and most efficient gateway for shipping containers and cargo in the Gulf and the surrounding region in general, HE the Minister highlighted on the occasion.

The fact that all CT2 works near completion confirms the continuity of the plans that aim to develop and increase the port’s capacity, which is in progress in full gear with no delay or slowdown despite the repercussions associated with the COVID-19 pandemic, which affected several economies around the world, directly and indirectly, HE the Minister added.

The area of phases 1 and 2 of the terminal is 380,000square meters. Its quay is 624 meters long.

The terminal will provide the business sector with all the modern equipment that uses the latest and eco-friendly world technologies to execute their business fast and smoothly.

CT2 will be equipped with STS quay cranes with advanced technology. Each STS crane can handle two containers at the same time.

It will also be equipped with RTGs for vertical container transportation, Terminal Tractor APM 75T HE for horizontal container transportation, empty container handlers, and trailers.

Further, all operation-related and service buildings and infrastructure will be constructed at CT2, in addition to telecom, ELV and SSD networks, stormwater networks, and relevant infrastructure and installations, supporting CT2's integration with CT1, which started operation in December 2016.

Last year, Hamad Port entered the Guinness World Records as the deepest artificial basin created on land. 

Hamad Port was also listed by the Lloyd's List Global Awards 2018 among the top 8 international ports in the field of innovation and among the top 5 ports in terms of operations.

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Source: MoTC