DP World: No Doraleh offer made

In a statement issued to Port Strategy, DP World said Djibouti’s government “have not” offered to buy its share, following its “aggressive” and “illegal” seizure and cancellation of DP World’s 30-year concession agreement last month.

A DP World spokesperson said: “Contrary to recent newspaper reports the government of Djibouti have not offered to buy our 33 per cent shareholding in Doraleh Container Terminal. As we have stated throughout, the aggressive action taken by the government of Djibouti is illegal, which is why we have filed our case to the Court of International Arbitration in London.”

In reference to the new contract signed by Pacific International Lines and Doraleh Container Terminal Management Company after the concession cancellation, DP World maintained that any new agreement was “illegal” as its own contract remains in place.

It clarified: “Any party entering into any agreement or arrangement with the Djiboutian government in respect of Doraleh Container Terminal, or other container and port concessions over which DP World also holds exclusive rights, risks being liable in damages for interfering with DP World’s rights under its contract, which remains in force. We consider such action to be illegal, and will pursue our legal rights against any such third parties.”

Djibouti is currently in talks with CMA CGM to develop a new container terminal at an initial cost of US$660m, the concession for which it hopes to award in July, according to Reuters.

Aboubakar Omar Hadi, chairman of DPFZA said: “We are going to build DICT, Doraleh International Container Terminal. This is a new plan,” he said. “We are in discussions with CMA CGM,” reported Reuters.

DPFZA, controlled by the state-owned Doraleh Container Terminal Management Company (DCTMC), said in February that DP World’s contract had been cancelled because of a dispute over management terms and poor performance.