In brief
- Somaliland Sun reported on 2021-07-08 that DP World and the government of Somaliland inaugurated a new container terminal at Berbera port.
- The report describes a 400 m quay, 17 m draft, and capacity of 500,000 TEUs, with phase two work said to be underway.
- The report does not establish what has happened at Berbera port after that date.
Somaliland Sun reported on 8 July 2021 that DP World and the government of Somaliland inaugurated a new container terminal at Berbera port, following what the publication described as completion of the first phase of the port's expansion plan. The report does not state an exact inauguration date or name a government representative at the event.
The article attributes these characteristics to the new terminal: a 400 m quay, a deep draft of 17 m, three ship-to-shore (STS) gantry cranes, and a container yard with eight rubber-tyred gantry cranes. It claims the terminal can handle the largest container vessels in operation today, but that statement is presented as a claim from the article, not an independently verified fact.
Somaliland Sun reported that the terminal increases the port's container capacity from 150,000 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) to 500,000 TEUs a year. The article does not give actual container throughput figures for Berbera port.
DP World has committed to investing up to $442 million to develop and expand Berbera port, according to the report. This is a commitment, not a statement of expenditure to date. The article did not give a total project cost for the port expansion.
The report also said work is already underway to further expand the port in a second phase, attributed to a company announcement. Planned phase two works include extending the new quay from 400 m to 1,000 m and installing a further seven STS gantry cranes, for a total of ten. Somaliland Sun reported that phase two would enable the port to handle up to two million TEUs a year and multiple large container vessels at the same time.
The official opening also included a symbolic ground-breaking for the Berbera Economic Zone, the article said. The first phase of the economic zone was reported as under construction at the time of publication. The zone is modelled on DP World's Jebel Ali Free Zone in Dubai and is linked to the port along the Berbera to Wajaale road, the Berbera Corridor. The article said the economic zone aims to attract investment and create jobs, targeting warehousing, logistics, traders, manufacturers and related sectors. Those are objectives, not results.
A new port One Stop Service Centre was also being built at the time of the report, with readiness targeted for the third quarter of 2021. The article did not confirm completion of that centre.
The Berbera Corridor road upgrade, funded by the Abu Dhabi Fund for Development and the UK's Department for International Development, was set for completion in the fourth quarter of 2021, according to the report. The Hargeisa bypass road, funded by UK Aid, is set for completion in quarter three next year, the article said. The article did not name contractors for either road project.
DP World Berbera began operations at Berbera port in March 2017, Somaliland Sun stated.
The report does not cover developments after 8 July 2021. It does not establish what has happened at the terminal, the economic zone, the service centre or the road projects since that date.
Frequently asked questions
What facilities does the new Berbera terminal include?
Somaliland Sun reported a 400 m quay, a deep draft of 17 m, three ship-to-shore gantry cranes, and a container yard with eight rubber-tyred gantry cranes.
When did it officially open?
The report is dated 8 July 2021 and says the terminal was inaugurated, but no exact date for the inauguration is given.
What is the terminal's capacity?
According to Somaliland Sun, the terminal increases the port's container capacity from 150,000 TEUs to 500,000 TEUs a year.