The Qatari port operator, QTerminals, which is the concessionaire at the Olvia seaport, intends to develop the seaport into a grain hub.

QTerminals’ spokesperson Neville Bissett announced this during the presentation of concession projects in the Olvia and Kherson seaports in Kyiv on January 31, the CFTS correspondent reports.

“We want to turn Olvia into a grain hub. It has a good geographical location, which makes it possible to create a good product,” he said.

According to QTerminals’ presentation, the concession project is planned to start in April/May this year. Modernization of the grain terminal at the berth No. 2, upgrade of cranes and loading equipment, and improvement of storage facilities are planned.

The company also intends to build a new grain terminal, for which two new berths with three cranes each will be built and a belt loader installed. Construction of silos and installation of loading equipment for railcars and trucks are also planned.

In addition, QTerminals plans to upgrade buildings, roads, and electricity networks in the port.

In total, the Qatari company intends to invest USD 124 million in this project by 2024.

As reported earlier, QTerminals won the concession tender for the state-owned Olvia stevedoring company. QTerminals is a port operator that operates container, Ro-Ro, and general cargo terminals (2 terminals) in the Qatari port of Hamad (30 kilometers from Doha).

QTerminals had handled almost 3 million TEU of containers, as well as 7 million tons of general and Ro-Ro cargo as of August 2019, less than three years since it began operation. The Olvia seaport is the company’s first international project.