Middle East Ports 2009
Cover Story
The Middle East ports dilemma
Tapping into international trade has for years been at the heart of efforts by Middle East and North African countries to develop their economies, helped by the fact that some of the most important global trade routes, such as those between Europe and Asia, traverse the region.
Rest of Supplement
The MEED list: Middle East & North Africa ports
The 12 key figures in the region’s ports and shipping industries are: Khamis bin Mubarak al-Alawi, Humoud al-Ajlan, Said Elhadi, Ahmed Ali Fadel, Imad Najib Fakhoury, Muhammad Ghannam, Jorn Hinge, Amir Jabbar, Sheikh Daij bin Salman bin Daij al-Khalifa, Allan Rosenberg, Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem and Saher Tahlawi
Case study: Tanger Med
Morocco is positioning the port as a hub serving Europe and Africa, but the global economic downturn is putting its expansion plans in jeopardy
Case study: Umm Qasr Port
Iraq’s only deep-sea port is in desperate need of redevelopment, but the work is being held up while the government considers rival proposals
Case study: Khalifa bin Salman Port
Although built to operate as a trading hub for the upper Gulf, the Bahraini port has been relying on domestic demand since opening in April this year
Case study: Jeddah Islamic Port
New transport links must be built to ease congestion around the site if the port is to retain its position as Saudi Arabia’s principal marine gateway
Regional port firms take stock
The past year has been a difficult time for the region’s port operators, with trade volumes falling, forcing some of the biggest to downsize and reconsider their investment plans
Coping with falling volumes at Gulf ports
The global downturn has reduced traffic through the region’s ports, but the economic diversification policies of the Gulf states are helping to increase domestic demand
Operators of ports projects proceed with caution in the region
Port projects around the region are moving ahead, but the pace of development has slowed as operators put some schemes on hold and focus on those that are the most economically viable
The case for expansion of ports in the region
Are port operators right to continue with plans to build billions of dollars worth of additional capacity in the current economic climate?
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