The new Jubilee port in Ashdod started trial operations yesterday (8th of May).
In a press conference held last week, the port's managing director said that the new port is one of the country's biggest infrastructure projects in recent years, with a final cost estimated at some NIS 2.9 billions.
Mrs. Iris Shtark, chair of the recently established Ashdod Port company, said that the new port will be Israel's first fully computerized container port. It will employee the highly advanced TOS (Terminal Operation System) port computer system, which cost over US$6 million and is used to run some 82 container ports around the world.
The new port should,according to Shtark, reduce the ships waiting time in Ashdod by 70 percent during the coming year, from 15.3 hours on average in 2004 to only 4 hours in 2006. Ship's loading and unloading operations will also be dramatically reduced tus cutting trucks waiting time at the port by almost 50% in 2006.
Mr. Shuki Sagis the port managing director said that the port recently recruted 100 new workers who were being trained. Another 100 workers were expected to be added by the end of 2005, bringing the total number of employees to 1,300. Sagis added that the new computerized port will enable the port to upgrade services to the port users in general and information technology services in particular.
The management of the Ashdod Port has presented an ambitious forecast for growth in the amount of cargo handled in the next few years. They expect, using the full potential of the new container gantry cranes, an increase in container handling of 30%in 2006, to 520,000 TEUs ( Twenty Foot Equivalent Unit).
The management further expect that within two to four years the port will handle 50% of all container traffic in Israel. Ashdod's general cargo handling is expected to increase by 20% by the end of 2006 to reach 17 million tons.
