In brief

  1. DP World reported on 11 October 2018 that construction at Berbera port started with a first phase of a 400-metre quay and a 250,000 square metre yard extension.
  2. The same account names Shafa Al Nahda Contracting as the contractor for the port expansion and describes a free zone within the first phase.
  3. The figures describe planned scope at the launch, not completed work.
Contents
  1. What the source records
  2. What it means on site
  3. What the source does not establish
  4. What to do next

DP World reported on 11 October 2018 that construction work on the multi-purpose Berbera port had started, marked by a groundbreaking ceremony attended by the President of Somaliland, Muse Bihi Abdi, and DP World Group Chairman and CEO Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem. The account states that the first phase would consist of a 400-metre quay and a 250,000 square metre yard extension.

What the source records

In its launch account, DP World writes that the first phase will consist of building a 400-metre quay and 250,000 square metre yard extension, along with development of a free zone to create a regional trading hub. The same account states that Shafa Al Nahda Contracting, a long-term DP World partner, was awarded the construction contract for the port expansion. It also notes that Ethiopia holds a 19% stake in DP World Berbera, the joint venture company, as a shareholder. The full text is at DP World.

What it means on site

Quay length and yard area are the two dimensions that set what a port can handle: berth length limits how many vessels can work alongside at once, and yard area limits container stacking, parking and truck circulation. For anyone pricing port-related work, the useful step is to ask for the current as-built drawings and the berth line survey from the port authority, then compare them with the 400-metre and yard figures as published in 2018. Confirm all dimensions against the drawings the port holds today, since the source does not give them.

What the source does not establish

The launch account is a statement of planned first-phase scope at a ceremony, not a completion record. It does not give berth depth, pavement or crane specifications, programme dates, or how much of the 400-metre quay and 250,000 square metre yard had been built when the page was published. The text fetched from the source was checked on 20 September 2026. The record that would confirm the present state is the port's as-built drawing set and the construction completion certificate, held by the port authority and the contractor.

What to do next

Request the Berbera port as-built drawing set and completion certificate from the port authority, and ask the contractor's project office for the handover documents for the quay and yard. Use those records, not the 2018 launch account, for current dimensions.

Sources

  1. Port expansion construction launchDP World, 2018-10-11, dpworld.com. Documented launch; groundbreaking account and first-phase scope.

Local reporting: this article is written for building work in Berbera and Somaliland. Ground conditions, prices and rules differ between places; confirm the details for your own site.