Algeria prepares for major shipping port

The new port, which will be situated just 60 kilometers west of the capital city of Alger, will be equipped with 23 quay berths with an overall quay length of 6,320 meters.    The north African nation of Algeria is preparing for the construction of its largest port after the China State Construction Engineering Corporation Ltd (CSCEC), the China Harbour Engineering Company and the Ministry of Transport of Algeria signed a framework agreement last week on the foundation of the joint venture to construct the port, according to CSCEC.
   Situated along the Mediterranean coast, just 60 kilometers west of the capital Alger, the port will be equipped with 23 quay berths with an overall quay length of 6,320 meters, giving it an annual handling capacity of 6.3 million TEUs and 25.7 million tons of bulk.
   Total investment for the port is $3.5 billion.
   In March 2016, the creation of the consortium company to build the port is expected to finalize, with the approval from the Council of State Shareholdings and the signature of its shareholding pact, China’s state news agency Xinhua said. The project is expected to gradually be put into operation within four years and fully completed within seven years, Xinhua said.
   The Chinese side will hold 49 percent of shares in the operation, CSCEC said.
   “The port will become the largest one in Algeria and the main entrepot along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea upon its completion,” CSCEC said.