DILI, 05 january 2023 (TATOLI) – The Tibar Port Bay collected more than US$195,000 during two months of operation from october to november 2022.
The Tibar Bay Port commenced operation on september 30, 2022; however, the official inauguration took place on november 30, 2022.
Finance Minister, Rui Augusto Gomes revealed that during the two-month operation, 24 containers were berthed at the Tibar Bay port, of which the government collected more than US$195,000. These revenues are made up of container service charges, royalty tax, etc.
Since the start of its operation, Tibar Bay Port had hired more than 70 permanent employees. The 70 workers are made up of 38 permanent staff members and 32 local workers from the villages of Tibar and Ulmera.
Meanwhile, the Port is expected to hire more than 200 people to complete its target.
Apart from the permanent staff members, 76 workers from the two villages were also employed by subcontractor companies such as Sentinel, PAX, and the National Centre for Employment and Vocational Training (CNEFP).
Thus, a total of 108 local workers have been employed since the launch of the Tibar Port Bay operation.
On november 30, 2022, the Prime Minister, Taur Matan Ruak, and the President of the Republic, José Ramos Horta, officially inaugurated the Tibar Bay Port, the first Public-Private Partnership (PPP) project in the country.
The new and modern Tibar Bay Port, which replaces the Port of Dili, was built as a PPP between the Government of Timor-Leste, with a contribution of US$ 130 million, through the Viability Gap Fund (VGF), and Timor-Port, a subsidiary of Bolloré, which invested US$ 150 million. The total value of the initial phase is thus US$ 280 million, out of a total expected investment of US$ 500 million, over 30 years.
This new commercial port, built by China Harbour Engineering Company, a Chinese state-owned company, will improve Timor-Leste’s maritime connectivity in the Asia-Pacific region, link Timor-Leste to global trade markets, and increase the country’s commercial access to markets in areas such as agriculture, tourism, fisheries, livestock, and other industries – a way to allow Timor-Leste to diversify its production.
On december 21, 2022, the Council of Ministers approved US$4.4 million for the purchase of X-Ray Scanner machines to facilitate the operation of the port.
Journalist: Filomeno Martins
Editor: Nelia Borges
