Aqaba Container Terminal (ACT), the world’s gateway to Jordan and the Levant region received the 2011 Social Security Excellence Award for Occupational Health and Safety, which is the only safety award of its kind to be offered to companies in Jordan by the Social Security Corporation.
This recognition was based on ACT’s high local and international safety standards across all of its activities.
ACT was selected after a comprehensive audit of ACT’s safety standards and procedures by the Social Security Corporation, Ministry of Labour, Ministry of Health, the Private Sector, and University Professors, during which ACT scored top points amongst its peers in the categories of transportation, logistics, warehousing, and communications.
Commenting on this achievement, ACT’s CEO Soren Hansen explained that this award reflects the company’s commitment to employing the highest standards of professionalism in its operations and related activities. He further noted that ACT continually works to find a viable balance between its prime objective of transforming Aqaba into a key industrial and commercial global hub and its untiring commitment to offering employees and clients’ safety and security: “ We place the health and safety of our ACT employees at the top of our priorities to ensure our work environment is a safe one aligned with global safety standards. Our employees define our company’s performance every day so our Health and Safety teams work hard to provide safety training and awareness sessions which have significantly reduced our Lost Time Injuries Frequency Rate. We are proud to receive this award which reflects the strong team spirit towards realizing ACT’s operational goals ” he added.
ACT is a joint venture between the Aqaba Development Corporation (ADC) and APM Terminals – a leading global terminal operator – operating a 25-year build-operate-transfer agreement signed in 2006. The terminal constitutes the logistical and economic backbone of the Aqaba Special Economic Zone Authority (ASEZA), serving as the preferred gateway to the region for many markets around the world. The terminal has been a shining example of private/public partnership success.
The berth expansion project remains one of the most defining activities in ACT’s history. The project will increase the berth’s length by 460 meters, doubling and extending it to well over 1000 meters. The 2009-2013 master plan, which has a total investment value of $235 million, will bolster ACT’s annual container throughput capacity to 2 million TEUs to help reinforce Jordan’s strategic position as the best gateway to the Levant and Iraqi markets.
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Dredging Today Staff, July 23, 2012; Image: ACT