The Chairman of the Ports and Free Zones Authority, Mr. Abu Bakr Omar Haddi, participated in a virtual meeting of the International Ports Association, which is concerned with enhancing cooperation and knowledge exchange between port operators around the world.
Representatives from countries in Europe, Asia, Africa and South America met at the meeting, including South Africa, Namibia, South Korea, the United States of America, France and Germany.
Mr. Haddi gave a brief speech in which he gave a brief overview of the vital role of Djibouti in global maritime trade.
Stressing the need to deal with the current crisis in the Red Sea.
The head of the Djibouti Ports and Free Zones Authority also highlighted the exceptional growth of transit freight traffic in Djibouti, as it has increased by twenty percent. He said: “This strengthens my country’s position as a major strategic center for global maritime transport.”
He noted that this rapid growth is largely due to Djibouti's unique geographical advantage, located at the entrance to the Red Sea, where 70% of trade between the Far East and Europe takes place.
On the other hand, Mr. Hadi pointed out that the Ports and Free Zones Authority has put in place measures to assist ships in emergency situations in regional and international waters, adding, “For example, during the sinking of the Rubimar ship in the Red Sea, which was carrying 22,000 tons of fertilizers of the same category.” 5.1 According to the IMO, Djibouti took immediate measures to avoid pollution and acted as a port of refuge.”
The head of the Ports and Free Zones Authority presented the trans-African railway project as an alternative to maintaining international trade through the Red Sea and Bab al-Mandab.