"Lift Off, Trade On", the slogan of QTerminals, sums up 2022, which was hectic for Qatar's resilient maritime sector as new lines were opened and the country’s ports actively catered to the exponentially increasing needs, especially in view of the World Cup.
The year not only saw Hamad Port being ranked third most efficient port in the world by World Bank and Standard & Poor’s but also witnessed QTerminals start full-scale operations of the first and second phases of Hamad Port’s second container terminal (CT2), thus enhancing the port’s total capacity to 3mn TEUs (twenty-foot equivalent) per year.
The CT2 - equipped with the latest environmentally friendly, technologically advanced equipment to keep pace with the needs and requirements of the global shipping lines - is focused on increasing the volume of the intra-regional trade of Qatar and with countries world-wide, as well as improving the country’s competitiveness by turning it into regional business hub.
Heavy traffic was reported between November 18 and December 18 as the country headed towards the finals of the FIFA World Cup. As many as 146 vessels called on Hamad Port and Al Ruwais port received 105 vessels between November 18 and December 18, 2022.
As many as 2,764 ships had called on three ports during January-November 2022. The general cargo handled was 1.46mn tonnes and containers 1.31mn TEUs.
The positivity in the maritime sector has to be seen in the context of a 6.7% year-on-year increase in Qatar's trade surplus to QR26.18bn, mainly on more than doubled exports to Belgium and robust double-digit growth in shipments to Asian countries like China, India and South Korea (as per the latest data from Planning and Statistics Authority).
The three ports - Hamad, Doha and Al Ruwais - has been witnessing robust expansion in container, RORO (vehicles) and building materials, indicating the pace of private sector in the fastest growing economy and the fruition of diversification strategies, said Mwani Qatar, for which health and safety is inherently etched in its management strategy.
On December 1, 2022, QTerminals operations at Hamad Port achieved 3mn man-hours without any Lost Time Injury (LTI); reinforcing the terminal operating company's core value, which is safety.
The performance of logistics and operational processes at Hamad Port reflects the major development of the port and the constant attention to improving the quality and productivity in the context of Qatar’s effort to ensuring a smooth flow of cargo and materials to local markets to fulfil World Cup requirements.
During the year, the maritime sector went paperless in transactions through the Mwanina port community system of Mwani Qatar, which kept sustainability at the core of its ecosystem as it believes the world depends heavily on sea freight for its efficiency and low costs, and now is the time to adopt new technologies for greener sustainable shipping.
Mwanina is one of the qualitative initiatives that come within Mwani Qatar's plans towards improving logistics operations and raising level of performance, quality and productivity towards achieving the Qatar National Vision (QNV) 2030 goals.
Qatar's Prime Minister and Minister of Interior HE Sheikh Khalid bin Khalifa bin Abdulaziz al-Thani inaugurated Mwanina, which is an electronic platform that provides a variety of services such as easy, fast and efficient information exchange, electronic customs declaration processing, and all information on cargo import and export as well as vessels movement.
The country's maritime sector, which has undergone a significant transformation in recent years, saw 93% of all materials used in Hamad Port's Golden Gate project were sourced, manufactured or assembled in Qatar.
Hamad Port was ranked third most efficient port in the world on the World Bank and S&P Global Market Intelligence's Container Port Performance Index, jumping 35 places from its ranking in 2020, reflecting the port's operations efficiency, the advanced infrastructure and facilities that were built in accordance with international standards, and the pioneering services it provides to its customers.
The year saw the commissioning of new routes to provide additional opportunities for direct trade between the countries with regular service, faster and cost-effective transit. The direct connection will reduce transshipment for customers and providing expedited transit times.
The latest is the India to East MED (Mediterranean) service, which connects Hamad Port with other major ports in the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, India, Egypt and Turkey.
In November, QTerminals announced the commencement of the new shipping line linking Hamad Port with ports in China, the UAE and Saudi Arabia.
In September, Qatar saw the commencement of AGI2 service operated by the New Golden Sea Shipping, a subsidiary of COSCO Shipping Lines, connecting Hamad Port with ports in Singapore, India, the UAE and Bahrain.
During Q3 2022, Asia was the principal destination of Qatar’s exports and the first origin of Qatar’s imports, representing 60.5% and 40.1% respectively, said the latest data of the Planning and Statistics Authority.
In October, a new service Gulf–India Express 2 (GIX2), a circular service connecting Hamad Port with India, commenced operations. The same month also saw the commencement of Gulf- Pakistan Express (GPX) service, linking Hamad Port with those in Oman and Pakistan.
The year saw QTerminals complete the construction and safety works of the trucks parking, which spans an area of 6,200sq m, consisting of 25 parking bays with pedestrian walkways leading to the general cargo terminal administration building.
QTerminals successfully and safely offloaded the heaviest load for 2022, with a weight of 113 tonnes, at the general cargo terminal at the Hamad Port, using two mobile harbour cranes with tandem lifting.
The year saw Doha Port Redevelopment Project, carried out by the Ministry of Transport to the port’s basin and quay, which resulted in boosting its capacity for receiving the world’s largest cruise ships as the port received three supersize floating hotels during FIFA World Cup.
2022 also saw the establishment of Hamad Port Visitor Centre, which is a uniquely designed purpose-built to showcase the maritime history and achievements of Qatar. It includes a maritime museum, an oceanic aquarium, a 4D cinema, in addition to virtual simulators and an auditorium.