Located at the Horn of Africa, Djibouti controls the strategic location of the Gulf of Aden and the Red Sea. Developing Djibouti Port into a regional shipping and logistics center is a key objective of the Djiboutian government. In the near future, this goal will be significantly advanced with the completion of a large multi-purpose terminal built by a Chinese company.

The Doraleh Multi-purpose Terminal project, with a total contract value of US\$420 million, is a key project for Djibouti's national economy and people's livelihood. An 11-kilometer port branch line will connect it to the main line of the Ethiopia-Djibouti railway built by China Communications Construction Company (CCCC), ultimately connecting the Ethiopian railway network with the Djibouti port network. Mohamed Goula, a 39-year-old Djiboutian white-collar worker, believes this is very important for Djibouti's economic development. He said: \"This is very, very important, because the port and railway projects will further enhance Djibouti's geo-strategic position, which is important for our country and other East African countries' economic development. We firmly believe that these two projects will definitely change Djibouti's economic situation.\"

Djibouti Port is not only an outlet to the sea used by inland countries in northeastern Africa, but also a transshipment point for handling containers in the Red Sea. Ships sailing north through the Suez Canal to Europe or sailing south from the Red Sea to the Indian Ocean via the Cape of Good Hope must replenish supplies at Djibouti Port, highlighting its significant strategic position as a \"sentinel\" on the maritime oil route.

Djibouti Port is located on the southwest side of the Gulf of Aden, close to the main international waterway. It is one of the important ports in East Africa and the only channel for Ethiopia's seaborne imports and exports. Because the existing multi-purpose terminal is old and outdated with backward facilities, it is necessary to build a new modern multi-purpose terminal.

On August 17, 2014, the Phase I project of the Doraleh Multi-purpose Terminal in Djibouti Port, jointly bid by China Communications Construction Company Limited (CCCC) and China Construction Group, commenced construction. The construction period is 30 months, including a 1200-meter-long quay line that can accommodate 5 multi-purpose deep-water berths and a 175-meter-long service berth, as well as related supporting facilities. The project is implemented using a \"design-construction general contracting\" model.

Today, at the construction site of the terminal facing the Gulf of Aden, engineering vehicles are coming and going, presenting a busy scene. Wu Di, chief engineer of the Doraleh Port Project Department of CCCC, introduced: \"After blasting here, the stones are pulled out for land reclamation, and over there, dredging is underway using a dredger. We will reclaim more than 600 meters of land for this port, with a width of 1200 meters, and the water depth will be approximately -15 meters after reclamation. Our main tasks are land reclamation, construction of east and west embankments, including subsequent site roads, stacking yards, and supporting facilities such as the customs building, import and export tax collection, checkpoints, and gas stations.\"

The construction of the Doraleh Multi-purpose Terminal is one of the important actions for upgrading the Djibouti port infrastructure and building a regional shipping and logistics center. The Phase I project will build 6 berths capable of accommodating 100,000-ton vessels, with an annual throughput of 7.08 million tons and 200,000 TEUs after completion. Niu Zengxiang, project manager of the CCCC Doraleh Multi-purpose Terminal project department, believes that this project is of great significance for boosting Djibouti's economy and promoting employment. He said: \"Because Djibouti's main national income comes from the port, and there is some income from foreign troops stationed there. If this port is built and the existing old port is moved here, its throughput capacity will be 1.5 to 2 times the current capacity, and its logistics capacity will be greatly enhanced. It will not only greatly enhance the input and output to and from Ethiopia but also the transshipment capacity to neighboring countries, greatly boosting the country's economy and employment. During the construction process, we also fully consider local operation, work closely with the government, and maintain a local employment ratio of approximately 1:2 to 1:3.\"