# Somaliland VP Said Berbera Port at Its Peak: What the 2023 Report Shows

> Somaliland Standard reported on 2023-04-13 that the Vice President said Berbera Port was at its peak and fully operational, with livestock exports up 10%.

- By: Editorial Team, Somali Construction Review (https://somaliconstructionreview.com/about)
- Published: 30 September 2026
- Format: News story (reported from one named public source)
- Publication: Somali Construction Review (https://somaliconstructionreview.com)
- Subject: Infrastructure and Services
- Tags: ports, utilities
- Web version: https://somaliconstructionreview.com/blog/berbera-port-peak-vp-claim-2023

## Key points

- Somaliland Standard reported on 2023-04-13 that the Somaliland government stated Berbera Port work was at its peak and quite busy.
- Vice President H.E. Abdirahman Abdillahi Ismael said he was informed livestock exports had increased by 10% compared to last year, without giving a baseline or data source.
- No throughput, tonnage or revenue figures were reported, and no evidence establishes what has happened at the port since.

On 13 April 2023, Somaliland Standard reported that the Somaliland government stated Berbera Port work was "currently at its peak and quite busy." The date comes from the article's URL metadata and was not visible in the article text, which carries a sidebar dated September 30, 2026.

The same report attributes the statements to Vice President H.E. Abdirahman Abdillahi Ismael, who spoke shortly after visiting the docks, according to Somaliland Standard. No ministry, agency or other official is named as the source of the government's peak-operations statement.

In his own words, as carried by the outlet, the Vice President said: "I visited Berbera port which is managed by DP World. I had a meeting with the senior management and the chairman of the port authority." The reference to DP World as port manager sits inside that quote; the report does not establish it otherwise.

## What he said he was told

On cargo and trade, the Vice President said he was informed that livestock exports had increased by 10% compared to last year and that the port was "now fully operational and at its peak." Somaliland Standard reported the figure as his statement of what he was informed. The account gives no baseline year, no data source, no unit (volume or value) and no livestock type.

The report also offers no throughput, tonnage, vessel-call or revenue figures. "At its peak" and "fully operational" are qualitative statements, not measured operations, and the article does not convert them into numbers.

## The bridge inspection

While on the way, according to Somaliland Standard, the Vice President inspected damage caused by flash floods to a bridge along the Berbera-Hargeisa highway. The report does not give the bridge's name, the extent of the damage, a repair cost or a responsible authority.

## What the report does not establish

Nothing in the report says what has happened at Berbera port since 13 April 2023. There is no later performance data, no follow-up official statement and no indication whether the "peak" was sustained, measured or revised. The April 2023 statement describes a moment as the government and the Vice President presented it, and no evidence establishes the port's operating levels before or after it.

## Questions

### What did the Somaliland Vice President say about Berbera Port operations?

As reported by Somaliland Standard on 2023-04-13, Vice President H.E. Abdirahman Abdillahi Ismael said he was informed the port was now fully operational and at its peak, and that livestock exports had increased by 10% compared to last year. The Somaliland government stated that Berbera Port work was at its peak and quite busy.

### Are cargo volumes or capacity utilization figures for Berbera Port given?

No. The report gives no throughput, tonnage, vessel-call or revenue figures, and no baseline year or data source for the 10% livestock export figure, which the Vice President said he was informed of.

### What has happened at Berbera Port since April 2023?

The report does not establish this. There is no later performance data, no follow-up official statement and no indication whether the "peak" described in April 2023 was sustained or measured.

## Sources

- [VP says that operations at Berbera port are at its peak](https://somalilandstandard.com/vp-says-that-operations-at-berbera-port-are-at-its-peak/) — Somaliland Standard, 2023-04-13