The dry port terminal at Dire Dewa city commenced last week with a 3.5 billion Br budget. Formerly referred to as Ethiopian Shipping and Logistics Enterprise(ESLE) the institution has also rebranded its name and logo to Ethiopian Shipping & Logistics (ESL). The dry port lies on 34.1hct and has the capacity to carry 128,000 containers annually comprising office buildings, a warehouse, a container terminal, and 10hct of internal concrete road. Officials disclosed that the port would create a seamless cargo operation with an advantageous location near the Djibouti border connecting to the Ethio-Djibouti railway to create a seamless rail cargo operation. ESL bagged 19.4 billion Br in revenues in the first half of the fiscal year, generating a total profit of 2.2 billion Br. A total of 850,000tns freight has been transported while 4,500 containers were exported to Djibouti ports. The CEO, Roba Megersa said it was possible to commence 2.4 million operational services, a 104pc increase from what the enterprise anticipated. Roba said freights imported from Djibouti in the last six months have exhibited a 12.8pc decline compared to the previous years because of the ban on imported goods.