Kuwait enters Gulf competition on ports with «Mubarak Al-Kabeer»

The competition between ports has caught competition for control of the maritime transport and logistics sector in the Arabian Gulf region. Kuwait is competing through three ports - Shuwaikh, Shu'aybah and Mubarak al-Kabeer - which have not yet started operation and are still in the implementation phase. 

The report pointed out that the investment cost of the first phase of the mega port project of Mubarak to $ 1.4 billion to compete with the ports of Hamad in Qatar, which the investment cost of the project $ 2 billion for the second phase of it and the No. 4 berth in the Jebel Ali Port in the UAE, which cost $ 1.6 billion.

Kuwait is seeking to increase the capacity of its ports to accommodate a larger number of containers, where the current capacity of 1.2 million containers per year with the capacity of 850 thousand containers to the port of Shuwaikh annually and 350 thousand containers to the port of Shuaiba annually and completion of the port of Mubarak Al-Kabeer capacity of the three Kuwaiti ports to 3 million containers per year The addition of 1.8 million containers per year is the expected capacity of Mubarak Al Kabeer port.

The report pointed to the need to take into account a range of factors in view of the large expansion of the region in the construction of ports, warning that further expansion may affect the profitability of these new ports and expansions in the future:

The global shipping industry has turned to giant vessels, which must be equipped with port capacity for these vessels in the future.

Focus on competition in terms of the ability to provide better services at low prices in light of the increase in the number of ports, especially in light of increasing competition from outside the GCC region in Iran and Pakistan, which is seeking part of the large market share.

Taking into account the availability of internet services, modern databases and digital services in these new ports.

The new and existing ports are planned to be placed on the new Silk Road linking China to Europe and Africa.

In comparison to the capacity of ports in the Gulf States, the UAE has the capacity to accommodate 27.25 million TEUs annually through Jebel Ali Port, which has a capacity of 18 million containers per year and four other ports. Saudi Arabia is competing through two ports in Jeddah and Dammam with a capacity of 9.6 million containers Oman and two ports also have a capacity of 6.2 million containers per year while Qatar competes with Wahid port and Bahrain with the port of Khalifa bin Salman with a capacity of only 1 million containers per year.