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DP World, Djibouti relationship in hot water

DP World, Djibouti relationship in hot water
The Djibouti government has filed an arbitration case in the London Court of International Arbitration against the UAE’s DP World earlier this year, reported Gulf News.

The Djibouti government claimed that the international ports operator had paid bribes to secure the concession for the Doraleh Container Terminal in 2000.

Commenting on the lawsuit and the strained relationship between the ports operator and the government, DP World’s Chairman Sultan Ahmad Bin Sulaymen said on Wednesday the Djibouti government had “tarnished” their relationship through this arbitration case.

“We are disappointed that the Djiboutian government has chosen to take this action after working so closely with us as partners…We have invested significantly in Djibouti over those years and have been a major contributor to its economy and to its community,” Bin Sulayman was quoted as saying earlier this year.

“It’s a matter of misunderstanding. We reject all their accusations,” Bin Sulaymen said during the Africa Global Business Forum in Dubai, a day when a number of Dubai government owned entities, including DP World, made it clear that they want to increase their investments in Africa.

DP World had said that it will continue to manage the port pending the outcome of the case, The National had quoted the ports operator as saying in July this year.

DP World had signed a 30-year concession in 2006 to operate the terminal. Doraleh is a main gateway for oil imports into East Africa, as well as a transshipment point for goods moving between Asia, Africa and Europe. With an annual handling capacity of 1.2 million twenty-foot equivalent units, the terminal is the largest in East Africa, the newspaper revealed.

It is worth highlighting that DP World is Africa’s largest container terminal and also Djibouti’s biggest employer.

Moreover, DP World operates six ports in Africa and 65 ports worldwide.