In brief
- On 15 April 2019, Somaliland Standard reported that the president inaugurated the arrival of three mobile harbor cranes at Berbera port.
- The same report, the sole source for the procurement and cost details, said DP World procured the cranes at a cost of 12 million USD and that they are intended to ease container handling for imports and exports.
- The report does not establish that the cranes entered service, and no crane manufacturer, model, lift capacity or commissioning date is given.
On 15 April 2019, Somaliland Standard reported that the president had on a Monday inaugurated the arrival of three mobile harbor cranes at Berbera port, acquired for Somaliland's port. The same report said DP World procured the cranes at a cost of 12 million USD and that they are intended to ease the port's container handling for imports and exports. Somaliland Standard is the sole source cited for the procurement and for the 12 million USD figure.
The report described the event as an arrival: the cranes had reached the port. It does not state that the cranes were commissioned, operational or in service, and gives no manufacturer, model, lift capacity, reach or commissioning date. It also records no measurable change in capacity or throughput. Somaliland Standard wrote that the arrival was expected to help expedite loading and unloading of the port's cargo.
Several claims in the report carry attributions. Berbera port manager Mr. Said Hasan Abdilahi said the port has made tremendous progress since DP World took over running it, and lauded government efforts which he said increased the capacity of shipping. Mr. Suhail Al-banna, speaking on behalf of DP World, said the company had done all it could to modernize the port as far as its takeover is concerned. The president thanked his predecessor for persuading DP World to invest in Berbera port, and urged the populace to welcome new investments including oil refinery plant projects launched a couple of days earlier in Berbera. He also said a number of projects inaugurated in Berbera had caught world attention.
Somaliland Standard reported that the president inspected the construction of a 400 meter port as part of the expansion and modernization of Berbera port. That structure is described as under construction; no contractor, consultant, cost or completion date is given for it, and the report does not identify it as a berth, quay or other specific element.
What the report does not establish
The cranes' arrival in April 2019 is documented. What happened after that is not established here. Somaliland Standard does not record the cranes entering service, being commissioned, handling cargo, or lifting anything. It gives no crane manufacturer, model, capacity or date of first use, and it does not quantify any effect on the port's throughput or shipping capacity. DP World's statement that it has done all it could to modernize the port is the company representative's characterization, not an independent measurement. The oil refinery projects the president referenced are named only as launched projects, with no owner, funder, cost, location, capacity or status detail.
Nothing in the report establishes the status of the 400 meter port beyond inspection of its construction, and nothing establishes whether the cranes described as arrived in 2019 remain at Berbera or have been replaced.
Frequently asked questions
Who procured the mobile harbor cranes at Berbera port?
Somaliland Standard reported on 15 April 2019 that DP World procured the cranes for the port. Somaliland Standard is the sole source for the procurement claim and the cost.
What did the cranes cost?
Somaliland Standard reported a cost of 12 million USD. The report does not break that figure down as purchase cost, contract value or total cost.
What lifting capacity do the cranes have?
The report does not state a manufacturer, model, lift capacity or reach for the three cranes.