A communique issued by traditional leaders on Tuesday at the commercial capital of Puntland, following a closed-door meeting the leaders held on the issue of the impending takeover of Bossasso port by P&O Ports, warns the federal state to go through with the deal.
The leaders said they emphatically opposed the deal the Puntland State leader entered with P&O Ports to take over the commercial hub of the Northeastern federal state of Somalia following an assessment they made on the Dubai firm’s activities at other ports in the region.
“We have noted,” the leaders said in their press release “how DP World has failed Berbera and the fact that sizeable imports destined for Somaliland have been diverted to Bossasso which has not yet fallen into the hands of the Emirates firm”.
The fact, they said, shows that DP World dismally fell on its face in the ports it handled where others, such as that of Bossasso which is still run independently is thriving and have, in fact, attracted more custom than Berbera run by the oft-touted UAE ‘port experts’ – DP World.
The conferees declared that they preferred that the port rather stay run as it is than hand it over to a firm that has already brought a thriving Berbera to its knees.
The clans’ leaders warned the state government not to enter into any more deals with foreign entities without the approval of the Federal government in Mogadishu the Puntland administration belonged to.
The Bossasso port is scheduled to change hand on October 1, 2017, following an agreement Dr. Abdiweli M Ali Gass, Puntland president, entered with P&O Ports earlier in the year in April.
READ: P&O Ports wins 30-year concession for Port of Bosasso in Puntland
According to the P&O Ports official website “P&O Ports is a company with a 200 year history in shipping and ports. We specialize in managing small multi-purpose ports including container, bulk and general cargo terminals.
P&O Ports is 100% owned by the Government of Dubai. Our ownership by the Government of Dubai allows us to offer services and finance that are unique amongst port operators – the chance for subsidies by the Government of Dubai in our ports operations.“
Somali Text Source: HorseedMedia.net
