The Aden Port has largely deteriorated since the government signed a deal with DP World to run and develop it, a recent official report has said.
The report issued by the National Supreme Anti-Corruption Commission said the Aden port, which has been largely affected by piracy, bad managements and other problems in recent years, started to further deteriorate immediately after signing the deal in 2008.
"According to initial investigations, the operations at the Mualla port, especially the container terminal, continued to worsen after the signing in November 2008 until December 2011," the report said.
"These investigations exposed dangerous facts blamed for the deterioration of the port in favor of regional competing ports," it continued.
The Commission has recently urged the government to annul the deal with DP World without delay and take necessary legal procedures because the UAE company has already failed to demonstrate full commitment to the deal terms.
Since it took office in December after the turmoil, the power-sharing government has started practical steps to reconsider the controversial deal and progress has been made so far.
This month, DP World handed Yemen the chairmanship of the Aden & Dubai Ports Development Company Limited (ADPDC), formed under the deal, just amid already readied plans by the government to run and develop the port.
The Commission argued DP World has deliberately failed to implement the first investment plan to develop the Aden Port during the stated time, urging the government to order the Aden Gulf Ports Corporation to run it and take all legal procedures including seeking compensation for damages.
The Aden Port is one of the world's leading terminals and studies suggest it can be an essential source to boost Yemen's fragile economy and bring in billions of US dollars if it is run well.
The port's importance stems from Yemen's strategic location on Bab Al-Mandab Straits, one of the world's busiest waterways, where large products including millions of tonnes of oil are shipped a day to the Americas, Europe and Asia.