Handling cargoes for the construction industry can be a good earner.

There may be unique challenges for ports in handling aggregates, but it can be a profitable niche to enter with the right amount of planning. Success appears to depend on setting up the marshalling and handling operation efficiently, observing environmentally-friendly rules, and developing collaborative partnerships with customers.

A good example is Saqr Port in the United Arab Emirates, the major Middle East aggregates port, which last year shipped over 44m tonnes of aggregates for use in major construction projects such as road building and infrastructure works, mainly in Kuwait, India and Qatar.