President Al-Zubaidi Lays Foundation Stone for Strategic Socotra Port
SMA NEWS – SOCOTRA
President Aidarous Qassem Al-Zubaidi, President of the Southern Transitional Council (STC) and Vice Chairman of the Presidential Leadership Council (PLC), accompanied by Eng. Raafat Al-Thaqali, governor of the Socotra Archipelago; Dr. Abdul-Salam Humaid, minister of transport; and Dr. Waed Badheeb, minister of planning and international cooperation, laid on Thursday a foundation stone for a strategic seaport in the “Qarmah” area of the Socotra Archipelago Governorate.
The vital project, funded by the Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development (KFAED), will include breakwaters, a dock capable of handling ships with a capacity of up to 10,000 tons, a 265-meter-wide maneuvering area with a depth of 10 meters, and a 14-meter-deep navigational channel, an administrative building, as well as a customs office, a maintenance workshop, roadways, an underground water tank, and all other necessary infrastructure works.
In a statement, Dr. Abdulsalam Humaid, Minister of Transport, highlighted that the port will play a vital role in facilitating transportation to and from the governorate, easing the burden on residents who struggle to move essential goods, and added that the port is expected to become a key economic asset for Socotra, enabling the arrival of large cargo ships and boosting development.
The foundation stone-laying event was attended by high-ranking officials including members of the STC’s Presidium, including Lawyer Yahya Ghalib Al-Shua’ibi, Shiekh Abdulrahman Jalal, and Dr. Nasser Al-Khubaji, Head of the Political body, Dr. Abdul-Naser Al-Wali, Minister of Civil Service and Insurance, Major General Salem Al-Socotri, Minister of Agriculture, Irrigation, and Fisheries, Eng. Mane’a Bin Yameen, Minister of Electricity, Dr. Mohammed Al-Zaouri, Minister of Social Affairs and Labor, Eng. Salem Al-Huraizi, Minister of Public Works and Roads, and Mr. Mohammed Al-Shaqi, Assistant Secretary-General of the Presidium of the STC, align with a number of undersecretaries of governors, as well as senior security officers and military commanders.
