Maersk's standalone port operator APM Terminals will add 11 hectares (27 acres) for cross-docking, storage and office space to the 13-hectare Aqaba Container Terminal (ACT) in Jordan, which handled 872,000 TEU in 2013.
Located in the Aqaba Special Economic Zone, Aqaba Logistics Village (ALV) has warehousing, a container freight station and a distribution centre. Much of its cargo is transshipped to Iraq, especially to Anbar province and Greater Baghdad.
APMT, through its unit ALV, is upgrading in Jordan to meet customer demand for more efficient logistics services to and from the Middle East, said the company.
"ALV's plans will add essential infrastructure to the regional supply chain and generate more efficient cargo support options for the customers of Aqaba Container Terminal," said ACT chief executive Jeppe Jensen.
Said APMT regional director Sandeep Mehta: "Our Iraq market access will now be the industry's safest, most economical and most reliable with this upgraded supply chain capacity."
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) forecasts eight per cent annual GDP growth for Iraq and Jordan for the 2014-2018 period, according to Shipping Gazette.