Qatar’s Hamad Port has officially been inaugurated by His Highness the Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, announcing the country’s largest access to the sea, and gateway to more than 150 destinations around the world.

The inauguration was attended by His Excellency the Prime Minister and Minister of Interior Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa al-Thani, His Excellency the Speaker of the Advisory Council Mohammed bin Mubarak al -Khulaifi, and a number of Their Excellencies Sheikhs, Ministers and senior officials.

 During the event, the Emir of Qatar also met with Ministers and senior officials from Morocco, Oman, Italy, Iran, France, Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, and Kuwait, who attended the inauguration ceremony, to discussed a number of issues of mutual interest.

Hamad Port has recently played an important role in providing direct marine shipping routes with key regional and global seaports in a record time, contributing to the security of goods and supplies. Hamad port will continue to play such a vital role in achieving complete independence in terms of the import and export of goods to various continents, as well as ensure the enhanced efficiency, reliability, consistency and competitiveness of the State of Qatar’s sea transport.

 Spanning almost 30,000 square kilometres and with a total capacity of around 7.6 million containers, Hamad Port is expected to bring a paradigm shift in the existing regional maritime landscape. It has already taken 27% of the region’s trade since its initial operations in December 2015, and is further expected to take more than 35% of the region’s trade in the next two years.

 In line with the Qatar’s National Vision 2030, the port will further enlarge Qatar’s share in global trade and accelerate the growth and development of the local economy. This will resultantly create job opportunities and boost Qatar’s competitiveness by attracting vast direct and indirect investments, thus making Qatar a more diversified and sustainable key economic destination.

 The inauguration highlights another milestone in the steadfast steps taken by the State of Qatar in ensuring a stronger and more independent nation.