Minister of Transport and Communications H E Jassim bin Saif Al Sulaiti and the Ukrainian Minister of Infrastructure, Volodymyr Omelyan, witness the signing of MoU.
DOHA: The maritime trade between Qatar and Ukraine got another boost as Qatar Ports Management Company (Mwani Qatar) and Ukrainian Sea Ports Authority (USPA) signed memorandum of cooperation yesterday.
The agreement aims to establish cooperation and active alliances between the two countries in maritime industry.
Minister of Transport and Communications H E Jassim bin Saif Al Sulaiti and the Ukrainian Minister of Infrastructure Volodymyr Omelyan witnessed the memorandum signing ceremony. They also held talks in Kiev and discussed Qatar-Ukraine aspects of cooperation in the fields of maritime transport and ports, exchange of expertise in the vital industry, as well as launching new navigation routes and investment opportunities in seaports.
They also discussed cooperation in aviation industry and potential investment cooperation in the field. The two ministers also discussed a number of matters of common interest.
The memorandum of cooperation was signed by Mwani Qatar CEO Captain Abdulla Al Khanji and USPA Head Raivis Veckagans.
The signing ceremony was attended by Charge d’Affaires of the Qatar Embassy in Ukraine Aisha Mohamed Al Ghaffari.
The agreement signing is a part of series of measures taken by authorities to expand Qatar’s maritime trade. Many steps have been taken in the past to expand connectivity of ports in the country.
Within a short period of time, the port has reached a global port connectivity coverage with 40 ports spanning over three continents.
Hamad Port, which was opened in December 2016, is not just vital to Qatar’s infrastructure but also drives the region’s development and growth.
The Port, which is one of the largest ports in the region, is set to play a major role in maritime trade by becoming a transhipment hub in the region. By becoming a transhipment hub, the $7.4bn port will be able to serve the business and trade of the neighbouring countries. The Port has played a crucial role in overcoming the unjust siege imposed by the blockading countries, as the number of vessels calling at the port and volume of goods has been grown consistently since start of its operation.
The Port received 803 ships in the first six months of the current year and handled 644,824 Twenty-Foot Equivalent Units (TEUs) containers in January-June period while handled 631,076 break-bulk cargo in the same period. It handled 132,325 bulk cargo; 341,793 heads of cattle and 32,084 units of vehicles in the first six months of the current year.
