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A modern marine port and an international airport that serves the region and the current port accommodates ships that carry all kinds of goods including large dry goods carriers that weigh up to (75,000 DWT) and container ships of the (Panamax) size. And the port doesn't only have many docks but it also has a separate station that serves the containers of the passenger ships and cruises. Whereas Aqaba airport is one of three airports in Jordan and can have all kinds of airplanes and passenger planes. Aqaba is connected to the surrounding areas by an effective and vital road network that allows passengers and goods a quick and secure movement inside Jordan. The existing or about to be established road networks and railroads easily reach all over the country which makes Aqaba a regional multimedia transport center. Aqaba has a high-quality infrastructure and modern supporting services by the international standards where the city has been provided with electrical power of 600 megawatt from the thermal power station located in the region that feeds the national electricity network and it is regionally connected to two electrical networks from both of Egypt and Syria. It also has been provided by water from the artesian wells that is (80 km) far from Aqaba in the known region of the Disi basin and there are future plans to establish Desalination stations to meet the future requirements as well as a wastewater treatment station which is now being expanded. As for the communication, Aqaba benefits from the advantage of the passage of a telegraphic cable that has a big capacity to transfer information around the world which is provided by a fiber optic network (Flag) that has a connect station in Aqaba. A connection service and an advanced fiber optic network provide competitive prices on the regional level.
Transport and logistics
  Throughout the years Aqaba marine port is considered the foundation of the city that overlooks the Red Sea, and the Gulf was named after it for its geographical and historical importance, as the economy of Aqaba depends largely on the port sector, and that strengthened the transformation of the city to a special economic zone since 2001, which added to it a lot of investment advantages to turn it to a tourist destination and global investment on the Red Sea. Aqaba provides a port system on a global level of progress and quality of services and the capacity to take all kinds of goods, containers, dry and liquid casting, it also welcomes the tourist ships year-round, as Aqaba port is able to stand out on both the industrial and tourist shipping map. Today, Aqaba achieves integration between the ports and the logistics as a logistic regional center for the multimedia transport that has an integrated port services and an international airport as well as a modern and developed logistic facilities, whereas Aqaba has:
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12 stations for general goods and containers, oil and liquid petroleum gas, liquefied natural gas, a specialized phosphate port and another for fertilizers, sulfur and ammonia products, as well as a multi-purpose port for receiving grain ships, livestock and other goods.
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Aqaba port is under construction to complete a new one that has 9 multi-purpose docks. It also provides a specialized storage facility for grain with a capacity of 100 thousand tons and is being doubled to 200,000 tons.
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22 specialized docks for all types of goods, 7 working docks until the under construction one is completed and 8 docks that are under construction.
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6 main sites to the logistics Storage and accompanying services that provide storage space of up to 2 million square meters.
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Customs facilities for transit goods with an integrated system for examination and clearance with the possibility of pre-clearance.
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Transit discounts up to 40% (general goods, dry casting, liquid casting, containers)
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An efficient electronic system to regulate the movement of trucks through 4 main parking areas.
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1.3 million equal units to the container port can be increased to 2 million units immediately by increasing manpower and working hours.
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An international airport with open skies and a high international classification with advanced facilities for air shipping, aircraft maintenance and private aircraft reception.
Aqaba development company is working to achieve the principle public and private participation in the development and operation of logistic assets fields including the ports and airports, where it contracts with 6 port operators and marine services:
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Aqaba Company for the management and operation of ports to manage and operate the new port, the oil and petroleum gas, passenger station, general goods docks and dry casting.
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Aqaba container terminal to develop and manage the containers port.
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Jordan phosphate mines company to operate the new phosphate ports.
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Jordan Industrial Ports company to operate the industrial port.
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The international electricity company to operate the liquified natural gas.
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Aqaba port marine services company to provide towing and ships guidance that arrive to the port.
New Aqaba port
It is noteworthy to mention, that the new port of Aqaba is about to be completed for the transportation of the old main port facilities in Aqaba gradually and according to the plan, where the old port lands become shopping and entertainment centers with a sea view, in addition to establishing a marine to the boats and yachts, where the construction of the first package to the new Aqaba port was completed before the due date and currently four docks are delivering the livestock, coal and grains, and temporarily delivering the sulfur until constructing the new dock is completed to the industrial port. Aqaba development company is committed to keep its promise and provide Jordan with port necessities for current and future times, and according to the decision of the council of ministries that has been made on the 2nd of January 2017 to expand the work to the second phase (2 more docks) to include the work of the third phase (3 more docks).
The containers port
In 2003, Aqaba development company has worked on the behalf of Aqaba special economic zone authority to make a strategic partnership to enhance the efficiency, ability and the operational skills to Aqaba container station. After signing the contract of the port management with the Aqaba development company in 2004, APM Terminalshas have taken control over managing and operating the port. In 2006, a joint development agreement has be signed for 25 years between Aqaba development company and Aqaba container port. AMP Jordan company was assigned under the contact to operate and manage marketing Aqaba container port. It also implements the main plan where it is expected by the mix between materialistic and operational enhancements to increase the productive capacity. And today, Aqaba container port testifies a paradigm shift from the port that is served by small ships to the main line facility of the navigation lanes, which plays and important role in the Jordanian economy and promotes the growth and development on a regional level, where the port is considered the main gate to the Jordanian market and an important crosspoint to the products passing between the countries in the region. And the port is the last option to the industry between Iraq and the rest of the world. The website : https://www.act.com.jo
The industrial port
The port includes delivering processes to the exported and imported industrial complexes and the Arab Potash company and the surrounding countries like fertilizers, potash, sulfur and liquid ammonia aside from the delivering all the chemical works that are used in making these fertilizers. Aqaba development company has signed an agreement (BOT) on the principle of constructing, building and transporting the property for 30 years and with the amount of 130 million Jordanian Dinars from 1/11/2016 with the Jordanian industrial port company which is owned by Jordan Phosphate Mine company and Arab Phosphate company to rehabilitate, expand and develop the current port, where it's going to include a new marine port, storage and discharge and conveyor systems as well as advanced tools delivering and loading ships. The dock will have a delivering space of 10 million ton per year including the advanced delivering equipment which is all harmonious, and on all the highest of standards with the global environmental standards, and it is expected to complete the development project in 6/2016.
The oil port
The crude oil port has expanded its capacity from 7 million ton to 14 million ton annually, which is equal to 100 million barrels, and an extra phase will be covered to increase the capacity to store oil products to become 150 million m/3 after finishing the third phase from 50 million m/3 and currently working around the clock.
Liquefied petroleum gas port
The whole port works efficiently to meet the kingdom's domestic gas needs for cooking and heating.
The new phosphate port
The Jordanian Phosphate Mines company has constructed, operated, managed and developed the new phosphate port on the principle of constructing, operating and transferring the property (BOT) with Aqaba development company for 30 years, with the cost of 170 million Jordanian Dinars, where it has been constructed to be an alternative to the old phosphate port that is going to be removed, which has been industrially operated from 1/1/2013, and it is expected that the annual delivering process has 6 million ton, and the new phosphate port has a load and storage stations with the capacity of 240 thousand ton, and advanced delivering equipments and a dock of 190 meter in order to ensure a safe landing of ships, and a tubular belt that transfers phosphate, which connects the loading area in the port of the storage facilities.
Aqaba marine services port company
There is a paradigm shift in the rehabilitation, development, management and operation of the marine services in the ports of Aqaba. Aqaba marine services port company was established as a partnership between Aqaba development company and a coalition between Lamnalco company and Jordan National Shipping Lines, which helps to enhance the port’s competitive capacity with the surrounding ports, the environmental and port’s safety and security and development of the Jordanian staff of the marine services, with an investment larger than 12 million Dinars and a development and operational contact for 15 years. Companies also operate the marine services dock - the tow and guidance to serve energy port system, by providing a technical platform to receive and unload the liquefied natural gas ships in Aqabas port and the necessary marine services on the highest global level.
Al -Sheikh Sabah for The liquefied natural gas port
It uses all of its capacity according to the highest global levels and specifications, and the floating gas ship “Golar Eskimo”, on the Al -Sheikh Sabah dock that have saved the state treasury more than 500 million Dollars annually. The port is operated by the national electricity company and a global subsidiary operator on a pioneer level in operating these sensitive installations.
The passengers port
Action is being taken to expand and rehabilitate the passenger’s port with the aim to keep up with growth and development that the shipping industry witnesses in the region on three phases and in specific periods, where the first two were completed. The first phase included rehabilitating existing structures and replacing the old dock with a new one, which is capable of receiving three naval assets. The second phase provides extra spaces not less than 1500 square meter to the reception halls, whereas the third phase includes the extension and orientation to the south when reaching a specific number of passengers and ships, and the departure from the passenger station in Aqaba.
The central port
Developing the central port is considered very important to many products, which includes three new docks after rehabilitating the existing ones, where the port has 6 docks some of it is Muta’a floating dock and it receives our ships by moving more than 53 thousand ton, and it is currently preparing an inclusive study to the central port.
Multi -purpose liquid port
In the near future, the multi-purpose liquid port will begin in Aqaba port to deliver the plant and mineral oil, oil derivations and liquid chemicals, and that's according to the best international practices and technical specifications, where it's necessary to find an alternative to deliver the oil derivations in case there was any breakdown or a damage to the delivering processes and sustaining its efficiency and capacity and a tangible availability on the Jordanian economy by decreasing the waiting period for the ships to enter the dock, as well as working on separating the clean petroleum materials from delivering the crude article materials, in addition to find new potential to deliver the imported and exported transit goods for it's huge income to Aqaba port and the Jordanian economy.
Aqaba warehouse compound (National Real Estate Company)
It is located on the distance of 12 km to the south-east from Aqaba city center and 6 km from Aqaba container port alongside the international road that connects Aqaba with the surrounding countries such as kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Iraq and Syria, and the total area to the project is 1.5 million square meter that has been developed as an “integrated business park” where the following facilities and areas have been developed and prepared: - Modern store warehouses with high quality specifications to serve the storage project with a total area of (60,000 m2) - Prepared typical industrial buildings with high quality specifications and various sizes to establish light and medium industries with a total of (15,000 m2). - Served and developed lands that has an integrated infrastructure specific for companies and institutions that aim to get sites to build warehouses or light and medium industrial warehouses or open storage arenas of a total of (50,000 m2). - Management offices to the company within the management and services building in the community.
Aqaba logistic village
Aqaba logistic village provides a complete package of the logistic services in Aqaba as well as storing containers and goods that serves the industry in the Kingdom and the region in general. The first and second phases are completed, as the first phase includes infrastructure work, building a container delivering station of 10 thousand square meters, to deliver and store the split goods (LCL), and outdoor warehouses arenas of 5 thousand square meters, a logistic center of 10 thousand square meters that is divided into two cold and dry storing areas, a weighting facility (Qabban) and service center of 5 thousand square meters of buildings to serve the clients of the village. The second phase includes infrastructure work, building two logistic centers of a total of 20 thousand square meters, an extra storage space of 5 thousand square meters and an outdoor delivering and storing arena of 25 thousand square meters. The village currently is considered one of the most important logistic investment places in Aqaba special economic zone because it’s close to the container port and it's ability to provide all the investment needs in the rising industry in Aqaba.
Alternative power
In the context of overcoming the energy challenges, M.Ghanem said that the company has created a project with a local company to produce 10 megawatt of electrical energy by the solar energy in the south, and produce a 5 megawatt of electrical energy to provide the authority’s building, the development company and the affiliated companies. The “Shameyyeh” street, trucks parking lot, private parks for the cinema and the promotion center and both arenas have been lighted by the solar energy, which indicates with the agreement that has been made with LED company to transfer the energy of bulbs and lighting units to a chinese kind in Aqaba
Grain warehouses "Silos"
New Aqaba port will be a global center, to re export the grain, especially the Wheat, where the capacity of wheat storage silos will be expanded from 100 thousand ton to 200 thousand ton, which will give Aqaba special economic zone an economic and logistic dimension on the international level.
The logistic arenas
The new customs center, starting from Aqaba development company’s responsibility in developing the ports and the logistic sector in the region and enhancing the supply chain and trade movement, the company also implemented and prepared a new customs center that is 14 km away from the container port, where efforts have joined to successfully operate the center from 3/4/2016, and the center has worked with all of it's productive capacity since the beginning of the operation, and the most important aim of the project is to transfer all the customs activities from the container port to enhance the delivery efficiency in the container port, decrease the dwelling time and increase the control equipment on the goods by a radiation examination machines for the containers and applying the best international practices in the field of transferring the containers.
Al-Rashdyyah arena
Starting from the vision of Aqaba special economic zone and the directions of the government of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan to develop the infrastructure to the transportation projects and providing a convenient environment, that's why Aqaba development company currently rehabilitate and develops the truck’s complex in Al-Rashdeyyeh area and provides the infrastructure, doemintery arenas, health facilities, restaurants and maintances stores and other services, where the truck’s arena in Al-Rashdyyeh is considered ones of the biggest sites that has all the shipment patterns and the main gate for trucks to enter Aqaba special economic zone.
The logistic arena system
To apply the concept of integration between the ports and logistics, the company has established and created a system of the logistic arena that has 4 waiting areas with the cost of 7 million Dinar to organize the entry and exit movement of the trucks from and to the port to end the road transport sector problems and the trucks congestion by adding these trucks to the programmed electronic system that can make that happen, and the company always works on revising the logistic plan to these arenas and make the necessary procedures to develop it.
Pilgrims arena
Aqaba development company has provided integrated services that are close to the passenger’s port to serve the Pilgrims from the Republic of Egypt in the Pilgrims season, it could also be used to park the arriving and departing trucks of the Republic of Egypt in other seasons.
Railways and land ports transportation
Both the Aqaba special economic zone and Aqaba development company is coordinating with the relevant ministries to prepare the studies and necessary designs to implement the railway project on the narrow path, to enable the container port to deliver the containers and prevent its stack, where studies have showed the importance of a railway line that connects Aqaba container port and the land port in Ma’an, which is considered one of the most important strategic projects to economically and socially support the development in south governorates by providing investment capacity, direct and indirect job opportunities and ease the burden on the international road network, except for raising the capacity of Aqaba container port.
Air transport
King Hussein International Airport in Aqaba works 24/7 and has a 45X3000 runway, it is also known for its “open skies” and it's not limited to the traditional bilateral landing rights. There is an increasing interest in using the airport as a regional center to the air cargo operation...Aqaba Development company established Aqaba Airport Company as a step forward towards transferring the airport’s activities to industrial ones.
Air freight facility
Aqaba Development Company signed an agreement with the Kuwait National Company for aviation services for 15 years according to a contract (operation, management, transfer of ownership) where it develops, operates and manages the air cargo facility for joint usage in the airport. The Kuwait National Company enhances the level of services to strengthen it's competitiveness with the global standards, builds new projects and generates the increased air traffic in the airport by providing better services to the current and future working companies in the special economic zone. The company has invested an amount of (4 Million American Dollars) to prepare the facilities, which was launched in 2006.
Communication
The infrastructure of communication in Aqaba covers the needs of the working institutions in Aqaba special economic zone which is connected to the international communication network. Jordan Communication Company, where France telecom owns 40% of it, provides direct communication all over the Kingdom through an advanced fiber optic network. The Jordanian communication owns and manages three satellite communication stations that connects Aqaba special economic zone with the rest of the world. Aqaba special economic zone is considered a perfect location to the economic activities that require a quick connection with the International Information Network (Internet). The fiber optic network around the world (FLAG) is the cornerstone of the infrastructure of the International Information Network in Aqaba, where it connects 75% of the world population by using 100000 kilometer of submerged cables. The International Information Network (Internet) airs the information between Jordan and the rest of the world efficiently, which strengthens the opportunities of expanding the volume of e-commerce and others from using the International Information Network. Jordan has an advanced mobile communication network that relies on the most advanced techniques from Motorola and Ericsson. And it currently has four institutions to provide mobiles which are Zain, Orange and Umniah, each of them provides a wide range of various activities.
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