Shailaja A. Lakshmi
Philippines-based International Container Terminal Services Inc. (ICTSI) said it has been chosen by the government of Sudan to handle the operations and management of the South Port Container Terminal (SPCT).
In a disclosure to the Philippine Stock Exchange yesterday, ICTSI said the state-run Sea Ports Corp. of Sudan (SPC) has confirmed it as the preferred bidder to operate and manage the SPCT under a 20-year concession.
ICTSI, controlled by gaming and ports tycoon Enrique Razon Jr., said that SPC is the independent state corporation of the Republic of the Sudan that governs, constructs and maintains the country’s ports, harbors and lighthouses.
The Tender Process was led by SPC, with Hamburg Port Consulting as an international advisor, and attracted bids from a number of international port operators, ICTSI said.
The port operator noted it will still have to discuss and negotiate the concession agreement before the official signing and effectivity of the contract.
SPCT was able to record a throughput of 470,000 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) in 2017 with a terminal capacity of 1 million TEUs.
ICTSI said the port has a total land area of 180 hectares and a 1,200-meter quay wall with water depth of up to 16 meters that enables it to handle the largest container vessels.
Other bidders included France’s Bolloré and Dubai’s DP World, according to reports overseas.