Following an international invitational to tender, the authorities of East Timor, advised by the finance institution IFC, have chosen the Bollore Group to build and operate the deepwater port at Dili under a public-private partnership agreement.
The ambitious project involves the construction of a 630m wharf with a draught of 15m, and a 24 hectare yard.
The port facility, in accordance with international standards, will have state-of-the-art container and general cargo handling equipment offering a stevedoring capability for container ships carrying over 7,500 TEUs.
According to CEO of Bollore Ports Transport & Logistics Philippe Labonne, the partnership will be entered into a 30-year term as it creates over 350 direct jobs and enable new businesses to set up in the future port zone.
"We are very proud to have been selected to work with the authorities of East Timor on this project. It will help to speed up the growth of the nation's economy by facilitating trade with Asia and the rest of the world to the benefit of the whole population."
With a strong track record of success in France and Africa, Bollore Transport & Logistics has decided to export its know-how to other emerging regions.
It already holds an Asian port concession at Tuticorin at the southern tip of India, in Central America & the Caribbean with a partnership to operate the TVB Terminal at Port-au-Prince in Haiti, and now in South-East Asia in East Timor.