* Recognised for having the deepest artificial port basin created on land

Hamad Port, Qatar’s gateway to world trade, has added another accomplishment to its list of achievements by entering the Guinness World Record for having the deepest artificial port basin created on land.
HE the Minister of Transport and Communications Jassim Seif Ahmed al-Sulaiti received the Guinness World Records certificate from the organisation’s representative, Swapnil Dangarikar, during a special event held at the ministry Monday.
The Guinness certificate, dated September 9, reads: "The deepest artificial port basin created on land measures 17m and was achieved by the Ministry of Transport and Communications (Qatar) at Um Al Houl, Qatar."
Addressing the media, HE al-Sulaiti stressed that the certification highlights the significance of the port. “Hamad Port winning such a universal certificate signals the importance and size of the project. Such an achievement is a new addition to a collection of world records the country has set at the Guinness World Records. It also emphasises Qatar’s capability of developing innovative projects in line with the highest global standards,” HE the Minister said.
"Hamad Port's continuing achievements place us before a double responsibility towards our society so as to continue our performance according to world standards and our ambitious goals," he added.


The Guinness World Records certificate and an infographic highlighting the measurements of the basin

HE al-Sulaiti noted that latest technologies have been used - since construction began at Hamad Port - to ensure high levels of work efficiency in line with the best global quality standards. Also, the concerted efforts of both the staff and partners have always been the key to the port’s milestones, he added.
“The port has met all the parameters needed for the certification. The Guinness World Records title was given after a team of experts carried out a thorough inspection,” Dangarikar told Gulf Times on the sidelines of the function.
Hamad Port's basin is 4km long, 700m wide and 17m deep. Basin construction works needed two and a half years of excavation, during which over 6,900 tonnes of explosives were used to challenge the drafts - with "full commitment to preserving wildlife and marine life" - to extract more than 44.5mn cubic metres of dredged material, which was later used in other construction works of the project, resulting in huge savings, the Ministry of Transport and Communications said in a statement.
This new Guinness World Records certificate is an addition to a collection of universal certificates and rankings achieved by Hamad Port.
The port won high commendation in the Coastal Dredging Project of the Year category at the inaugural IHS DPC Innovation Awards. The commendation was awarded to Hamad Port for the deployment of unique systems in the construction and excavation of the port basin that was built on land in a rare operation of its kind in international ports. The award also came as recognition for advanced infrastructure that supports eco-friendly port technologies worldwide.
Hamad Port was also classified by the Lloyd's List Global Awards 2018 among the top eight international ports in the field of innovation and among the top five ports in terms of operations. The port was commended for deploying constructive initiatives and ideas, as well as its efficient operational processes and overall unique performance.
In terms of operational processes, Hamad Port managed to set new records in August this year, celebrating two key milestones; the handling of over 3mn TEUs and 7mn tonnes of general and bulk cargo since the commencement of operation of the facility.
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