[060420.EN.BIZ] Aqaba Terminal To Serve As Gateway to Iraq, as Box Volumes Rise

THE Aqaba Container Terminal (ACT) in Iraq achieved 3.4 per cent growth between August and December last year, boosted by the strategy to promote the port as a gateway to the Middle East nation and the wider Levant.

Containers destined for Iraq jumped by 367 per cent compared to the previous year, while the terminal has seen a growth in import container volumes of 13 per cent and in export container volumes of six per cent in the first two months of 2020, reports London's Container Management.

Said ACT chief executive Steven Yoogalingam: "2019 was a year with many challenges. 2020 had a strong start but the year will not be free of challenges. The coronavirus outbreak has prolonged the period of low trading activity well beyond Chinese New Year so we naturally expect lower volumes in March."

ICRC, the global humanitarian agency for the protection and assistance for victims of armed conflict providing support and emergency relief to Syrian refugees, and Nile Forwarding, the project cargo expert which ships several hundreds of containers into Iraq, have both made Aqaba their preferred gateway.

Nile Forwarding CEO Nasri Aqrabawi said that ACT had gone "the extra mile to ensure that the processes and costs of all the different parties involved were all clear and without surprises".

Said ICRC local logistics chief Jean-Marie Falzone: "We consider Jordan to be a safe haven for our cargoes and we enjoy the full welcome and support of the authorities of this country in order to accomplish our mission.

Source : HKSG.