Over the course of nine years under the aggression and blockade, the Red Sea Ports Corporation faced many challenges and repercussions, which were reflected in the activity of entering goods and the suffering of millions of Yemenis due to the closure of ports and the imposition of arbitrary measures on commercial navigation, which resulted in the largest humanitarian disaster in the world.
Despite the continuation of some challenges as a result of the repercussions and restrictions that it suffered for several years, as a result of the blockade and restrictions on the activity of the Red Sea ports, and the severe material damage that has been caused to them as a result of targeting infrastructure and operational movement equipment, there are extensive efforts that have begun to be evident in developing the services of the port of Hodeida.
The effects of the blockade reflected in the limited provision of the needs of millions of Yemenis, through these ports, as the port of Hodeida, like other Red Sea ports,
represented a strategic target for the aggression coalition, which deliberately imposed its arbitrary measures by freezing its activities and preventing the entry of basic materials, which caused the disaster to occur, the humanity that the Yemeni people suffered from.
This disaster, the closure and bombing of ports, the destruction of its equipment, and the cessation of commercial activity and shipping lines, also resulted in material losses amounting to billions of dollars, and major liabilities facing the Red Sea Ports Corporation, especially after the cessation of the flow of commercial ships, and the efforts and work it requires to address the totality of these damages.
The Corporation’s efforts, especially during the last period, were directed towards implementing a number of development programs and plans for Hodeida Port projects and services, and qualitative transformation with procedures and mechanisms to keep up with the flow of ships, organizing yards and docks for unloading and handling goods,
and plans to raise the efficiency and readiness of the port and double its production capacity.
In order to keep pace with the requirements of the operational activity of Hodeida Port, which covers the needs of more than 70% of the Yemeni people in all governorates, the efforts of the Corporation’s leadership during the last period resulted in the rehabilitation and maintenance of many operational equipment and mechanisms, which contributed at a high rate in providing navigational services to various ships.
In view of the organization and arrangement required by the process of handling goods to prevent the accumulation of trucks and locomotives and the obstruction of traffic they cause on the docks and yards of Hodeida Port and outside the main gates, efforts have focused on implementing a number of works and projects to address the problems that the port’s operational area suffers from.
With regard to efforts to enhance performance, the Corporation succeeded in the plan to develop the efficiency and capab
ilities of its staff and workers at the port, and to integrate and enhance coordination between the various facilities operating in the port, in addition to providing facilities to businessmen and shipping companies, in improving the services of loading and unloading goods, and increasing the activity of entering ships.
Regarding the repercussions of the aggression and indicators of success, the head of the Red Sea Ports Corporation, Marine Engineer Yasser Muhammad, explained to the Yemeni News Agency (Saba) that the aggression countries’ targeting of port infrastructure, the systematic destruction of the corporation’s service equipment and mechanisms, and the deliberate announcement of the closure of all sea ports, will remain a living witness to the enormity of the aggression,the largest humanitarian war crimes committed by the coalition in Yemen.
He reviewed the most prominent damages that affected the ports, including the port of Hodeida, whose bridge cranes, maintenance and storage hangars, and marine
floating slides destroyed, the occupation of the port of Mokha, and the targeting of the facilities and docks of the ports of Ras Issa and Saleef, as well as disrupting navigational and commercial activity and preventing the entry of basic needs represented by food, medicine, and oil derivatives.
He stressed the keenness to continue developing port services, raising the efficiency of operational capabilities, treating damages according to available capabilities, and mobilizing all efforts to implement responsibilities to ensure the restoration of navigation activity to alleviate the suffering of the Yemeni people.
Engineer Yasser appreciated the active role of the Revolutionary Leadership, the Supreme Political Council, the caretaker government, the leadership of the Ministry of Transport and the relevant authorities in overcoming the difficulties and obstacles facing the institution as a result of the major damage it sustained as a result of the systematic targeting of Red Sea ports by the aggression coali
tion.
He praised the efforts and performance of all employees in the institution and their keenness to improve port services and what was achieved thanks to their steadfastness in work, and who not deterred by the repercussions of the aggression from continuing to perform their national duty.
Regarding the institution’s programs and performance, the Chairman of the Board of Directors stated that the work plan based on several paths that include: rehabilitating and maintaining equipment, stimulating the capabilities of the administrative and technical side, improving financial performance, and keeping pace with emergency and development needs with multiple works and projects.
He noted that the Corporation’s leadership has focused its attention since the last quarter of last year 2023, through an executive work matrix, on addressing the challenges witnessed by the work of the ports, achieving a better level of smoothness of services and procedures related to receiving commercial ships and container ships, an
d implementing development projects in the port of Hodeida.
He stated that among these projects are the completion of a project to develop the operational area of the port, implementing the work of leveling the reception yard for trucks loaded with containers next to the western gate with an area of 80 thousand square metres, rehabilitating the new container yard that was allocated for parking container trucks with an area of 180 thousand square metres, and rehabilitating the investors’ gate next to the gate eastern, which designated for the exit of goods.
The head of the Corporation touched on the works and projects that included public docks and container docks, all the way to the exit gate and public facilities for the purpose of facilitating cargo inspection procedures, reducing congestion and overcrowding of containers, and reducing pressure on the yards near the docks and on the handling equipment and mechanisms at the container terminal, including incubators and cranes.
He stated the implementation
of projects for leveling, rehabilitating and organizing dirt squares and docks to facilitate traffic and parking lots for trucks and locomotives carried out according to technical studies and working committees composed of experts and consultants to achieve safe operation, efficiency in performance and eliminating obstacles.
He stated that a precise mechanism had been prepared to arrange container tugs in the yard designated for hazardous materials, by dividing the yard into lines and tracks from 1 to 13 to accommodate the largest number of containers, up to 1,220 tugs, in order to reduce the waiting time for ships to enter the port and the time for docking at the berths, and thus contribute to In raising operating efficiency and achieving the highest discharge rates.
Regarding the maintenance of equipment, Engineer Yasser noted the efforts to maintain the two bridge crane ‘Aden – Al-Mukalla’, which were subjected to direct bombardment by the aggression aircraft in mid-August 2015, as well as the maintenanc
e of the ‘Taiz and Hajjah’ launches in the marine buoy slide, in addition to the maintenance of the towing launch ’22 May”.
He reviewed what had been accomplished in the navigation channel by installing marine bugs for 20 bugs out of a total of 27 guidance bugs for ships, due to its importance in reducing the period of ships remaining in the draft and waiting during their entry or exit to and from the port, especially at night, in addition to the rehabilitation work of the two incubators No. 10, 13) for the purpose of returning them to service, to reduce the pressure of container handling in Hodeida Port, and to maintain and rehabilitate four container tugs.
He pointed out that three 40-ton tongs were rehabilitated and repaired and returned to service in a way that serves the efficiency of the container handling process.
The CEO of the Ports Corporation stated that periodic maintenance of all equipment was carried out according to the previously prepared program, stressing that the maintenance work for the
equipment and mechanisms carried out through personal efforts and local expertise, appreciating the great role of the Corporation’s cadres in maintaining this equipment despite the difficulties and challenges.
He praised the role of the leadership of the Ministry of Transport and its keenness and interest in continuing to overcome the obstacles facing the Ports Corporation, as well as the continuation of coordination efforts to address the damage, indicating that the activity of Hodeidah Port is witnessing a remarkable development with the support and interest of the revolutionary leadership and the Supreme Political Council.
He stressed the strategic vision of the institution includes paying attention to the path of administrative and financial reform, rationalizing expenditures, implementing a series of training programs that keep pace with the requirements of port services, and enhancing the capabilities of employees and workers to achieve efficiency in work, pointing to what has been accomplished during
the past months in terms of training and improving the financial performance indicators of the institution.
For his part, Vice President of the Corporation, Zaid Al-Washli, confirmed that the qualitative efforts in completing and implementing a number of development works and projects for maritime sector services within a short period, culminated in the launch of single-window services at the beginning of last January.
The launch of work on the window project was considered a turning point in the development of services in accordance with what is practiced in the world’s ports, with the aim of simplifying and automating the exchange of information between all concerned parties in the maritime sector related to the arrival and departure of ships, the movement of goods and containers, accelerating their transportation procedures, and enhancing security and safety in the maritime supply chain.
Al-Washli noted that the single maritime window will contribute to facilitating transactions and quickly completing p
rocedures in one place and an effective automated system within the framework of the guidelines issued by the International Maritime Organization, with high efficiency that keeps pace with development, maritime transformation and navigation activity.
The Vice President of the Foundation pointed out the great damage caused to the Red Sea ports and the deliberate bombing of its infrastructure and equipment for ship unloading services, with American complicity and support, in violation of international humanitarian law and recognized conventions, including the four Geneva Conventions and the protocols attached to it, which criminalize targeting civilian objects and facilities SOA.
He also considered that the aggression countries deliberately practiced a policy of deception and lies in blockading the Red Sea ports, imposing suffering and starving the Yemeni people, and linking humanitarian and legal entitlements to the entry of food, medicine, and oil derivatives to military files.
Al-Washli touched on the rep
ercussions of the blockade and the cessation of port activity, and the resulting deficit in depriving the state of revenues, in addition to the severe shortage of food, medicine, building materials, and petroleum derivatives, the rise in prices and the occurrence of a crisis in public services that caused an unparalleled disaster.
He stressed that the Foundation is keen to carry out its tasks in accordance with international laws and norms and to play its role in enhancing its services and to work with moral and legal responsibility, to end the consequences of the humanitarian crisis to which the Yemeni people.
He called on the United Nations and the relevant authorities to quickly fulfill their agreed-upon obligations, including providing bridge cranes, equipment and mechanisms.
Al-Washli warned that restoring the activity of the Red Sea ports and the entry of ships loaded with goods, oil derivatives, and container ships through the port of Hodeidah after years of suffering, truly represents a project in
which there is no benefit or credit to the enemies of Yemen, and one of the most important priorities of the leadership is to end the suffering of the Yemeni people and impose systematic starvation on millions of their children.
The Red Sea Ports Corporation revealed in a press conference last year that the direct and indirect material losses it suffered as a result of the aggression and blockade amounted to three billion and 254 million and 970 thousand dollars.
Source: Yemen News Agency