Arab Sea Blockade Against Port of Aden? [Archives:2000/13/Front Page]

Very soon Djibouti will hand over the entire administration of the Port of Djibouti to the Port of Dubai Authority (Jabal Ali)on a 20-year lease agreement, according to reliable sources. Press reports say that negotiations have been going on for some months between officials of the Port of Djibouti and the Port of Dubai.
In its February 12 issue the private business weekly Capital had reported that time was approaching for Ethiopians using the Port of Djibouti to stop dealing directly with Djiboutians. Also confirming this move is the private weekly Reporter. It reported in its February 13 issue that negotiations between authorities of Djibouti Port and Port of Dubai were then at an initial stage and the Djibouti party was quite meticulous about forms and conditions of the said partnership. If negotiations lead to positive result, the Port of Djibouti will have the advantage of obtaining higher performances and an increase in shipping calls, the weekly reported. The Reporter weekly had on the other hand wrote on February 13 that the Port of Djibouti authority invested 15 million U.S. dollars on infrastructure upgrading of the Port.
It seems that the Yemenis have not been given enough time for their happiness over the recent inauguration of the Free Zone of Aden Port on which the government spent almost 300 U.S. million dollars for acquiring modern equipment and to upgrade it. The news of the regional Arab-UAE-Djibouti new deal came as a surprise to the Yemenis. The establishment of a competing free zone at the Port of Djibouti, which is closer to the international maritime lanes under a lease agreement in favor of the United Arab Emirates, would in itself pose a serious threat to the maritime role of the Port of Aden and its prospects of receiving hundreds of shipping calls navigating via Bab Al-Mandab Strait.
Any observer would immediately conclude that this latest agreement would ultimately mean laying an economic and commercial siege to the Yemeni Port of Aden at the Arabs hands, particularly if we take into consideration the amount of 260 million U.S. dollars invested recently in developing and upgrading the Omani Port of Salalah.
Blame should also be put on the Yemeni government for these recent developments. It has been very slow in implementing development and updating the Port of Aden and did not finish that in due time, a matter which encouraged other parties to seize the opportunity to carry out their present plans.
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