Mar 08 | 2019
The UAE’s northernmost emirate, Ras Al Khaimah is staking its claim as “an interesting place for breakbulk or project cargoes.”
The UAE’s northernmost emirate, Ras Al Khaimah is staking its claim as “an interesting place for breakbulk or project cargoes,” according to Ras Al Khaimah Ports Chief Commercial Officer Roger Clasquin.
Speaking to Breakbulk at Breakbulk Middle East 2019, Clasquin said that the Emirate’s ports mostly serve quarries, but there is a drive now to create activities that will generate other cargoes.
“Most people who know Saqr Port associate it with dust and stones, but there is a lot more to it,” he said. “The port does over 70 million tonnes of dry bulk so it’s significant.”
To get the message out that Ras Al Khaimah is ready for breakbulk and project cargoes, Clasquin outlined one idea for the development of a marine and construction services cluster, which would be developed in conversation with relevant stakeholders and centered around a clear value proposition.
Clasquin added that there is also a move to market the Emirate’s five ports as a whole rather than individually to create the “right focus” for each of the ports.
Further, RAK Ports — created to oversee the growth of its region’s maritime sector and to drive RAK’s economic development — is attempting “to get more out in the field” and to develop concepts with quarries to sell “vertically integrated concepts” instead of quarriers selling on a purely ‘free on board’ basis. This would help underline the port’s ability to serve its customers.
Clasquin also noted that a port does not generate cargo by building infrastructure alone. Instead, he is a proponent of jointly developing port facilities with customers to bring cost efficiencies and to be more customer centric.
