Having successfully forayed into Turkey and Ukraine, QTerminals is now eyeing acquisition of port assets in Europe as part of its strategic geographical expansion.Moreover, the terminal operating company, which will officially rebrand the newly acquired port asset as QTerminals Olvia on December 7, plans to turn the Ukrainian port into a major grain hub through which Doha's food security can also be addressed as food processing plants are being planned in Qatar's free zones, QTerminals Chief Executive Neville Bissett said in a meeting with
Gulf Times Editor-in-Chief Faisal Abdulhameed al-Mudahka.QTerminals – whose core values are safety, customer service and community – is also addressing the challenges to the infrastructure of Mykolaiv, the city where the Olvia port is located, by investing either in tunnel or a bridge to connect the east side with the west side of the city, which will have "immediate and specific" impact on the local community."The opportunities should fit with QTerminals. We are looking at opportunities in Europe," Bissett said.QTerminals, which is a 51:49 joint venture between Mwani Qatar and Milaha, last year secured Olvia port (Ukraine), which has a capacity of about 3mn tonnes of cargo annually, through a 35-year concession, as part of its European plans."In this industry, the acquisition of ports either by concession or outright purchase is massively competitive," Bissett said, without divulging further details about its European plans.On Olvia port, Bissett said the 35-year concession "is a good deal not only for the QTerminals but also for Qatar as Ukraine, the second-largest country in Europe after Russia, has a very long coastal line in the Black Sea surrounded by the European Union countries.The depth and length of the mooring line, which is 1.35km (six berths), make it possible to accept vessels with the length up to 230m, width up to 32.5m and 80 KDWT.The strategic location of the Olvia Port makes it possible to direct cargo flows from the territory of Ukraine towards such countries of sale as Bulgaria, Romania, Turkey, Italy, Spain, Greece, Tunisia and Libya.QTerminals is investing in establishing a new fully-equipped grain terminal in Ukraine, which has insufficient storage and facilities to export grain. Ukraine produces roughly 100mn tonnes of grains every year of different varieties such as soya, wheat and sunflower. The productivity per hectare is very low, and is increasing."As the improvement per hectare happens, then the amount of grain produced will also increase within the next five years. We are looking at 125-130mn tonnes production of grains every year," Bissett said.The Mykolaiv is positioned as one of the largest grain gates of Ukraine. In the long-term perspective, sales of grains can be targeted to Egypt, Morocco, Israel, Tunisia, Lebanon, Libya, Algeria, Turkey, Bangladesh, Indonesia and the Philippines, according to QTerminals.Olvia Port, which has been witnessing a significant year-on-year increase in grain and oil exports, spans an area of 140 hectares and has seven berths and a rail network for transporting cargo inside the port, besides several warehouses and storage areas. Its quayside is 1,530m long.During the first five years of the concession, QTerminals will invest in improving the existing warehouses, modernising the road and telecommunications networks and all port utilities and buildings, and set up silos and loading equipment for all modes of transportation, such as railway and freight lines.Bissett said the port and free zones have huge significance as Qatar offers multiple incentives, and they promote the streamlining of logistics and supply chain.Stressing that Doha Port has the potential to become the transshipment hub in the region, he said there are incentives and support of the government.“If Dubai can be a hub, then why can’t Doha be... The will is there and what is needed is to work in partnership to maximise the synergies with port, airport and free zones. It is a win-win situation for all," he said.On its operations in Turkey, Bissett said QTerminals Antalya is a multi-purpose port providing cruise, container, general cargo, bulk cargo, project cargo, drilling shore-base and military ship services. The main export through the port is marble.