A proposed US$50 million container port on the strategically-located Yemeni island of Socotra has moved forward, while pressures mount as the impoverished Arab nation battles with conflict.
[s2If is_user_logged_in()]Unconfirmed reports suggest the port will be relatively small-sized, with the ability to accommodate feeder vessels. However, the official size and frequency of services has not been publicly disclosed at this time.
Situated between the Guardafui Channel and the Arabian Sea, at the entrance to the Gulf of Aden, 250km (155 miles) from the Yemen coast, Socotra overlooks one of the world’s busiest shipping lanes. In recent years the island has been a source of tension between the UAE and Saudi Arabia, which have been reportedly vying for control of the resource-rich island.
In June last year, UAE-backed separatists took control of the Socotra archipelago, from forces of Yemen’s internationally recognised government. It is unclear whether the UAE has withdrawn its troops as ministers on both sides allege the opposite.
The Republic of Yemen has allocated part of the credit agreement from the Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development to finance the project to construct the new port of Socotra (Qurmh site) in Arkhabil, Socotra.
The Yemen Arabian Sea Ports Corporation is now requesting expressions of interest from consultants for revisions of previous studies and designs conducted by Kuwait-based Pan Arab Consulting Engineers, and construction supervision of the container port, the Implementation Unit For Socotra Project Office told Container News. The potential size of the port has not been disclosed at this stage.
Katerina Kerr
Central Asia Correspondent
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