The COVID-19 outbreak has not affected the strong performance of the maritime sector. Qatari Ports exhibited excellent all-round performance in the first quarter, showing a 100 percent increase in cargo handling this year.
Compared to last year, the ports – Hamad Port, Ruwais Port, and Doha Port registered a 102 percent increase in general cargo handling during the first six months. The first six months witnessed 1,509 ships being docked at Hamad Port, Doha Port, and Ruwais Port, marking it the busiest period in Qatar’s maritime sector. During the first six months this year, the ports took in 727,716 tonnes of general cargo, while in 2019, the figures stood at 360,644 tonnes.
According to the official twitter account of Mwani Qatar, 32,799 vehicle units and 305,504 livestock were handled during this period. During the first half of the year 2019, the port received 673,399 containers. This indicates a 2 percent increase this year. This year the ports handled 110,398 tonnes of building materials in the first quarter, which stood at 37 percent growth compared to 2019.
The measures taken by the port authorities, along with the Ministry of Public Health were way ahead as the pandemic started in China. This is one reason why the maritime sector has significantly managed to remain safe in these turbulent times. These measures covered the installation of thermal cameras and container sanitization, necessitating the submission of COVID-19 disclosures and IMO accredited medical declaration by ship agents and educating the workforce on necessary means to limit the spread of the virus. the workforce on compulsory means to limit the spread of the virus.