About Port of Aqaba
Aqaba is a strategic area and Jordan's only seaport. Aqaba has borders with the city of Haql in Saudi Arabia through the Dura Border Center and Egypt, as well as with the city of Eilat through the Wadi Araba crossing, and both cities are located at the head of the Gulf of Aqaba branching off from the Red Sea. Aqaba is famous as a diving area and for its beaches overlooking the Red Sea.
The city is home to several important industrial facilities, free trade zones, and King Hussein International Airport. It is considered an important administrative center in the southernmost region of Jordan. And a source of phosphates and some types of shells. Starting in 2001, the Aqaba Governorate was upgraded to a special economic zone with the goal of stimulating growth in the area and fostering investment.
Situated east of the city of Aqaba, along the shores of the Gulf of Aqaba, the port of Aqaba is the sole operational sea port in the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, located in the southern section of the nation.
It is run by the Aqaba Ports Corporation. Through this port, the majority of the imports and exports of Jordan, and the movement of goods to and from other countries such as Egypt, Palestine, Iraq, etc., takes place. This has helped the nation economically. Over about fifty years, the Port of Aqaba has seen several transformations that have allowed it to become one of the principal ports in the Red Sea.
It is located near the city of Aqaba and includes 12 berths with a total length of 2108 m. It is used for handling various goods, grain, phosphate export, automobiles, and container transportation. The nine main cargo berths are 1508 m long and serve ships up to 70,000 tons, in addition to berth No. 10 with a length of 210 m and a draft of 1.5-3.5 m, which is used for boats and marine pieces, and two phosphate berths with a length of 390 m.
The current Aqaba Port will be relocated to the southern part of Aqaba Governorate near the Saudi border, and its capacity will exceed that of the current port. In 2010, the Aqaba Development Company announced that it had finalized negotiations with the French Bouygues consortium and would carry out the project in a self-build mode without the participation of foreign companies and investments, leaving the port 100% owned by the government. It will be completed in 2013.