Yemen is expected to take over the Aden port from DP World in the next two days, a move which comes days after the state-owned Gulf of Aden ports corporation decided to terminate the deal with the UAE company.
A legal team comprising of Yemeni and foreign members has been formed to be in charge with the handover-takeover process, Alsahwa website reported on Tuesday quoting an unnamed source at the Corp.
“The team accompanied the Corp management on its visit to the container terminal in the Caltex area, met with the DP World representative and manager of the Aden container terminal, John, and set the date for the takeover,” the website reported. “The handover-takeover process will take place in the next two days,” the source was quoted as saying.
Within the accelerated measures to end the deal and restore the activity of the Aden port, which is one of the most important economic resources, the Corp has also assigned a local competent cadre to operate the terminal.
On Saturday, the Corp decided to annul the 30-year contract signed between the former regime and DP World.
The decision was hailed by the public and described as correct and on time to serve the Yemeni suffering economy which has been largely affected by the latest developments including the 2011 turmoil. The Corp said it was made on the grounds the UAE company has not fulfilled its obligations to run and develop the port according to the deal.
The container number was supposed to reach 900.000 by 2011 and necessary infrastructure to be built to expand the port, but nothing of these projects has been implemented, officials said.
“What happened instead was that the container terminal at the Aden port largely deteriorated. The container number declined to less than 140.000 in 2011 and DP World left the terminal without expansion,” the officials added.
The Corp also said investigations into the deterioration of the port’s activity, by 70% compared to the year prior to signing the deal, have revealed frauds with regard to the signing of the deal and that was among the reasons to revoke it.