29 January 2003
DUBAI - Sharjah will open the fourth port in the emirate in July, a new $8 million Inland Container Depot (ICD) in addition to the existing Mina Khalid, Hamriyah (Sharjah) and Khorfakkan ports. Located in the centre of expanding Sharjah Industrial Zone, the new150,000 square metres complex will be capable of holding 18,000 TEUs (twenty feet equivalent units).
The depot will have direct and easy access to the Khorfakkan road and the new Emirates highway linking the Northern Emirates. "We have carried out a detailed evaluation and the construction works have already started, Peter Richards, operations manager at Gulftainer Co, which manages and operates Sharjah and Khorfakkan Container Terminals on behalf of Sharjah Ports Authority, said.
The new customs-bonded Sharjah ICD will be constructed to the highest standards featuring the latest security systems and will
incorporate full customs inspection and clearance facilities. The depot, with its own offices, warehousing, workshops and container repair facilities, will be fully computerised and linked to the container terminals of Khorfakkan and Sharjah and have reefer container 'plug in' points.
The container handling equipment will initially consist of a fleet of modern Linde toploading forklift trucks and empty container handlers, but the ICD will be developed to accept rubber-tyred gantry cranes when required, he explained, adding that all local and Northern Emirates cargo coming from Khorfakkan Container Terminal and other east coast ports will be received and distributed from Sharjah ICD.
The new port's strategic location will not only benefit the growing Sharjah industrial area, which currently accounts for nearly 45 per cent of the UAE's industry, but also industrial areas in Dubai. The development will boost the transport links to Sharjah's shippers and consignees, he said. It is expected that the new container depot will concentrate on full container loads and empties initially, while less than container load rework operations will be available on request, he added.
DUBAI - Sharjah will open the fourth port in the emirate in July, a new $8 million Inland Container Depot (ICD) in addition to the existing Mina Khalid, Hamriyah (Sharjah) and Khorfakkan ports. Located in the centre of expanding Sharjah Industrial Zone, the new150,000 square metres complex will be capable of holding 18,000 TEUs (twenty feet equivalent units).
The depot will have direct and easy access to the Khorfakkan road and the new Emirates highway linking the Northern Emirates. "We have carried out a detailed evaluation and the construction works have already started, Peter Richards, operations manager at Gulftainer Co, which manages and operates Sharjah and Khorfakkan Container Terminals on behalf of Sharjah Ports Authority, said.
The new customs-bonded Sharjah ICD will be constructed to the highest standards featuring the latest security systems and will
incorporate full customs inspection and clearance facilities. The depot, with its own offices, warehousing, workshops and container repair facilities, will be fully computerised and linked to the container terminals of Khorfakkan and Sharjah and have reefer container 'plug in' points.
The container handling equipment will initially consist of a fleet of modern Linde toploading forklift trucks and empty container handlers, but the ICD will be developed to accept rubber-tyred gantry cranes when required, he explained, adding that all local and Northern Emirates cargo coming from Khorfakkan Container Terminal and other east coast ports will be received and distributed from Sharjah ICD.
The new port's strategic location will not only benefit the growing Sharjah industrial area, which currently accounts for nearly 45 per cent of the UAE's industry, but also industrial areas in Dubai. The development will boost the transport links to Sharjah's shippers and consignees, he said. It is expected that the new container depot will concentrate on full container loads and empties initially, while less than container load rework operations will be available on request, he added.
By Jamila Qadir
© Khaleej Times 2003
