Experts deem mega port project "milestone" in Sino-Algerian ties

The project of building a mega port by an Algerian-Chinese joint venture is positively perceived by Algerian experts, who deem this project a milestone that marks rising level of bilateral cooperation.

According to Mohamed Achir, professor and researcher in economics at the University of Tizi-Ouzou, the announced project of the new centre transshipment port of Cherchell, is "ambitious."

On the one part, the project marks another orientation in terms of funding Algeria's public investment amid current financial crisis.

Aside from the financial interest, the professor notes that "Algeria will benefit advantages from such partnerships, including the mastery of the management of mega projects thanks to the Chinese experience in the matter."

Moreover, Achir added that this project will provide an international integrated logistics platform set on an industrial area of 2,000 hectares, which will create a ripple effect for driving investment and export-oriented industrial projects.

It can also be an ideal stopover for regional and international maritime traffic that will serve the South Asian region and Africa, concluded the professor.

Researcher and teacher of economics at the University of Bejaia, Mohand-Amokrane Zoreli, said this mega commercial port project will certainly have many benefits for Algeria.

Economically, professor Zoreli told Xinhua reporter that "the current context in Algeria is characterized by the crucial and inevitable challenge of diversifying exports in order to gradually get rid of the dependence on oil income, and this should be marked in the economy agenda of Algeria.

"This port will for sure be one of the most competitive in the Mediterranean basin; it will greatly provide the desired geopolitical and strategic place for Algeria in the Mediterranean region," Professor Zoreli assumed.

He concluded that "a mega port like this would help avoiding economic crises given that it would ensure smooth flow of foreign trade, as a strong heart that has the capacity to curb the risk of heart attack."

Algeria and China on Sunday inked a 3.3-billion-U.S-dollar deal to build the new center transshipment port of Cherchell, some 55 km west of the capital Algiers.

The agreement was signed between Algeria's Transport Ministry, China Harbour Engineering Company (CHEC) and China State Construction Engineering Corporation (CSCEC) in Algeria on January 17.

Under the deal, the two sides will create a consortium company to build the port. The project is planned to complete within seven years and gradually put into service within four years with China's Shanghai Ports Group ensuring its management. Endit