February 5, 2023
The Federal Republic of Germany is showing interest in Aden port development. Visitors from the German Embassy in Yemen, the Foreign Office, the German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ), Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and German Development Bank (KfW) paid a visit to the Aden Port Control Tower at the Marine Department to see the newly installed Vessel Traffic Management Information System (VTMIS), funded by UNDP, and learn about the benefits this system added to the port.
Deputy Executive Chairman of the port Eng. Abdulrab Al-Khulaqui briefed the guests of the port and the importance of the VTMIS, highlighting the improvement to ships’ navigational safety and port security. Capt. Taha Wagdi explained the components of the VTMIS and the much greater control of the activities in the harbour area that the new system can provide. The delegation also showed interest in the issue of pollution, the risk posed by the aging tankers at the port and the progress made so far to deter their effects on navigational safety and marine pollution.
Mark Aiken (UNDP Yemen – Project Manager – Senior Peacebuilding and International Development Programme) contributed to the discussion, highlighting the importance of maritime domain awareness and governance and the work of UNDP in the port in these aspects. UNDP is also helping the Maritime Affairs Authority (MAA), the Yemen Coast Guard and taking part in establishing the Regional Maritime Information Sharing Centre (ReMISC) in Aden.
The Harbour Master Capt. Shakib and his Deputy Capt. Waddah Qubati then invited the delegation for a boat ride around the harbour, which allowed the guests to see the port facilities from the seaside.
Capt. Yeslam Mubarak (Deputy Executive Chairman MAA) and Eng. Faisal Mohammed Mareai (Advisor, MAA Executive Chairman) and Capt. Mohammed Al-Maqtari (Marine Superintendent Aden Oil Harbour) attended the meeting and contributed to the discussion on the port affairs.
