The activity of the port of Aden between the government's decisions and the facilities of Iran's false arm
English - Sunday 19 February 2023 الساعة 03:17 pm
Aden, NewsYemen, exclusive:
At a time when the port of Aden is witnessing local and international movements to improve its services, rumors circulating on social media speak of a decline in the port's activity and the divertation of commercial ships to the port of Hodeidah after allowing ships to enter the commercial pier after a years-long closure due to the control of the terrorist Houthi militia, the arm Iran in Yemen, and its attempt to use it for military purposes.
The port of Aden includes the Aden Container Terminal, the multi-purpose Al-Mualla terminal, the oil port, the Gulf of Aden terminal, the tourist berth, refueling platforms, and berths for the sects and yachts in the Al-Mikhtaf area.
Recently, the container terminal witnessed development and modernization operations, the latest of which was 14 new locomotives of the Italian “Mavi” type, to join the fleet of equipment purchased during the current year, which was preceded by the arrival of cranes dedicated to carrying full containers, cranes dedicated to lifting empty containers, and forklifts.
In the context, the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) announced a tender to rebuild the warehouses of Al-Mualla docks that were destroyed during the 2015 war, with an amount of two million and four hundred thousand dollars, to be used as warehouses for aid and foodstuffs.
Despite these movements, which were accompanied by many visits of European and international delegations, the routine procedures followed in the entry of ships and government decisions regarding customs and required permits. It threatens the commercial and oil port activity, especially in light of the Houthi militia's announcement of facilities to push merchants to send their goods to the port of Hodeidah, which is under their control, in an attempt to force the Legitimacy Support Coalition to ease its procedures regarding the entry of ships to the port.
A statistic of the activity of the port of Aden during the year 2022 AD showed that the number of arriving ships reached 210 ships carrying various goods, down from the year before 2021 AD, which amounted to 32 ships, and on the contrary, the container terminal recorded the reception of 163 tankers during the year 2022, an increase of 11 tankers compared to the year 2021 in which the station received 152 tankers.
The port also recorded an increase in the number of arriving ships during the year 2022, which amounted to 189 hours, an increase of 23 hours from the year 2021, which recorded the entry of 166 hours, and the volume of goods handled by ships during the past year reached 76,236 tons, an increase from the previous year, amounting to 12 thousand. and 379 tons.
While the oil port recorded a decrease in the number of ships during the year 2022, as the port received 92 oil tankers, a decrease of 28 tankers from the year 2021, during which the oil port received 120 tankers, and the reason for this decrease is due to the international humanitarian armistice that took effect on April 2, 2022 and was The first of its provisions is to allow the entry of oil derivatives into the port of Hodeidah.
In this regard, multiple sources in the port and customs confirmed to (NewsYemen) that the decline in the activity of cargo ships is due to the lack of facilities that motivate merchants to choose the port of Aden as a station for the arrival of their goods, excluding at the same time the falsity of the Houthi facilities that are exposed by the levies imposed by the Houthi militia's points on the port. The length of the roads linking the governorates and the arbitrary measures that affect merchants.
The source in the customs of the port of Aden explained that importers suffer from strict and routine procedures in the docks of the port of Aden, adding that the government's decision to raise the customs price to 750 riyals per dollar exacerbated their suffering, but it is not the main reason for the decline in the port's activity.
The source pointed out that the talk about diverting ships to the port of Hodeidah is incorrect, but the recent Houthi measures regarding goods coming from the liberated areas have created fears among merchants in militia areas of their inability to import. He stressed that the continuation of this situation without government solutions will cause a continued decline in the port's activity.
Another source in the oil port explained to (Newsyemen) the impact of government measures on the activity of the various berths and stations of the port of Aden, and said, "The permits required to enter oil ships and the delay in issuing them, in addition to imposing customs on oil derivatives and packing fees, are among the main reasons behind the decline in the port's activity."
The source indicates that the start of operating the port of Mocha had an impact on the activity of the oil port, explaining that the port of Mocha has become receiving small oil ships through the Al-Kathib terminal and has turned into a source of oil derivatives due to the failure to impose customs or to wait for the permits of the Economic Committee of the legitimate government.
A third source in the port of Aden denied, in his interview with the (Newsyemen) editor, the rumors circulating on social media about diverting commercial ships, but he did not deny the decline in the port's activity due to routine procedures. He only indicated that this decline was not caused by rumors and the facilities that the Houthi militias claim they will provide to merchants.
He said, "There must be greater facilities to attract more international shipping lines. The port has managed during the last period to restore many lines, but it needs more facilities to attract more."
