ICTSI’s Syrian terminal starts commercial operations

A subsidiary of International Container Terminal Services, Inc. (ICTSI) has started commercial operations at the Tartous International Container Terminal, the first specialized container terminal in the Port of Tartous in Syria.
Tartous International Container Terminal jsc (TICT) took over operations of the
Tartous terminal on 28 October 2007, and serviced its first client the very same day, handling Maersk Lines’ MV Mercosul Palometa.
Speaking immediately after the takeover, Budha Majumdar, TICT general manager and chief executive officer, said: “This is a great day for us, and we are confident it will also prove to be a historic day for Syria, particularly for the country’s importers and exporters. We have been preparing for this moment for some time, and while there are still challenges ahead, we are confident that the terminal will significantly raise the standard of container handling in the country. In turn, it should generate major benefits for the shipping community and the economy as a whole.”
TICT began operations after completing preliminary activities such as inventories of equipment and infrastructure to effect the transfer of relevant assets, agreeing on and finalizing various administrative procedures, and completion of essential civil works.
During the transition period, TICT had acquired and quickly deployed two new Liebherr mobile harbor cranes, which TICT took delivery of in July 2007. Immediately after commissioning, the staff was given hands-on training to use the new equipment. This provides for the first time in Syria specialized ship-to-shore container handling capacity. Traditionally, over the quay container handling has been undertaken by means of ships’ gear, a much slower method.
Aside from the equipment purchase, other investments are also now underway for terminal superstructure, landside container handling equipment, a container terminal management system incorporating user friendly client interfaces, and for human resources development and training. Over the lifetime of the concession, TICT will invest a total of US$37 million in infrastructure rehabilitation and modernization, new container handling equipment and IT systems as well as extensive personnel training programs.
The Tartous container terminal is located on the North Quay, Pier B in the Port of Tartous. It has a 540m quay with a draft of up to 13m alongside. The terminal covers an area of 25 hectares incorporating a 15,000 sq m warehouse for container stripping and stuffing.
Syria’s prime minister had earlier formally approved the agreement made between the Tartous Port General Company (TPGC) and ICTSI to develop, manage and operate the Tartous Container Terminal for a period of 10 years, with an option to extend for a further five years. ICTSI will conduct its operations in Syria through its wholly-owned subsidiary, TICT.
Working closely with port authority TPGC, TICT aims to transform the port of Tartous into the leading trading gateway into the capital, Damascus. In addition, the terminal is also eyed to serve as a junction of southern European, northern African and Middle East trade.
The Port of Tartous is the first port in Syria to introduce foreign expertise into its container handling operations, and has done so at a time when many analysts are forecasting sustained strong growth in container handling operations in Syria and the region as a whole. The Port of Tartous has been experiencing 12 percent growth in volumes over the past 10 years.

Source: Transportweekly