The tiny but strategic Red Sea state of Djibouti on Saturday unveiled a multi-million-dollar project to expand its port and make it the Horn of Africa's main regional shipping terminal.
President Ismael Omar Guelleh laid the foundation stone of the second-phase of the $400-million facility upgrade, expected to be complete and operational by late 2008.
The expansion of Doraleh port, about 10km south of the capital, entails construction of a 2km container jetty for deep-water anchorage, allowing an additional 1,5 million offloads a year, officials said.
The port currently has the capacity to handle 10 million tonnes of general cargo and 400 000 container units per year and the upgrade will mean a significant boost in cargo traffic for the impoverished nation, they said.
President Ismael Omar Guelleh laid the foundation stone of the second-phase of the $400-million facility upgrade, expected to be complete and operational by late 2008.
The expansion of Doraleh port, about 10km south of the capital, entails construction of a 2km container jetty for deep-water anchorage, allowing an additional 1,5 million offloads a year, officials said.
The port currently has the capacity to handle 10 million tonnes of general cargo and 400 000 container units per year and the upgrade will mean a significant boost in cargo traffic for the impoverished nation, they said.