The Ethiopian Shipping and Logistics Service Enterprise said it would construct four dry ports in the coming two years. The ports are expected to create market chains with the expanding industrial parks and railway lines.
In addition to the Dire Dawa Dry Port, which is now being built at the cost of 1.9 billion Birr and 75 percent completed, the new ports will be installed in Mekelle, Woreta, Kombolcha and Hawassa towns, the Enterprise told Fana Broadcasting Corporate.
In these four towns, 91 hectares of land has been readied for the construction of the dry ports.
It is also planned to link these five dry ports, including the Port of Dire Dawa, with railway lines and industrial parks that are expanded in the country.
Dire Dawa port is expected to be connected to the Ethio-Djibouti railway. The Mekele dry port, which is about 15 kilometers far from Mekele Industrial Park, is said lies at about 42 hectares of land.
Feasibility study for Mekele Port has been done and this Port will be completed this year at the cost of 2 billion birr.
Similarly, study is undertaken for the construction of Woreta Dry Port which will be lie on 20 hectares of land. The Port will begin to provide temporary port services until the port is built as of this year.
While the design of Hawassa Dry Port is underway, the design works for the construction of the Kombolcha Dry Port which will be constructed on 26 hectares of land will be completed by this year.
The construction of the ports is expected to be completed in the next two years. However, the logistics services will be temporarily used in areas where the construction of these ports will be possible.
[allafrica.com]