Lloyds list highlights that Khalifa Port was one of only a handful of ports in the world to achieve double-digit volume growth over the past year, despite the impact on shipping and the global supply chain due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Strategically located between Abu Dhabi and Dubai, Khalifa Port was officially inaugurated on in December 2012 by President His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan.
A hub for three of the world’s top four shipping companies
This impressive volume growth is driven in part by its standing as a regional hub for some of the world’s top shipping companies, such as COSCO SHIPPING Ports and MSC Mediterranean Shipping Company.
This growth is set to continue thanks to the recent agreement signed in September 2021, between AD Ports Group and CMA CGM Group, to build a new terminal in Khalifa Port with an initial capacity of 1.8 million TEUs. The terminal will provide CMA CGM with a new regional focal point, making Khalifa Port a hub for three of the world’s top four shipping companies.
The growth has also been driven by Khalifa Port’s proximity to KIZAD, Abu Dhabi’s integrated trade, logistics and industrial hub. The access to global markets and convenience provided by the joint port and industrial zone value proposition is a great advantage to the region’s manufacturing and industry sectors.
Continuing to expand
Capt. Mohamed Juma Al Shamisi, Group CEO, AD Ports Group, said: “Khalifa Port continues to expand in response to the ongoing market demand and at the direction of the leadership of Abu Dhabi, which has prioritised diversification and economic growth.
“Even during the challenging conditions that we saw at the start of the global pandemic, we continued to sustain volume growth and continued to develop new facilities to boost capacity.
“As our expansion programme continued, we have deployed cutting-edge technology and innovations to ensure that our operations are smart, sustainable and contribute to our mission to reimagine global trade and logistics.”
Khalifa Port was developed from a stretch of reclaimed land four kilometres out to sea and is now a major hub serving more than 25 shipping lines with direct links to 70 international destinations.
Development continues across all service areas to create a truly multipurpose port, in response to ongoing and exponential business demand. For general and bulk cargo South Quay is now operational, and great progress has been made on the South Quay Wall, with the majority of landside works completed.
In addition, work on Khalifa Port logistics continues, with landslide works progressing well and infrastructure in place for the new Arabian chemical terminals commercial liquid and gas storage facility.
A remarkable achievement
Work is continuing apace on the dedicated Khalifa Port Etihad rail terminal, which will connect the port to the national rail network. In November, Etihad Rail announced that it had completed 50 percent of the marine rail bridge construction to connect Khalifa Port with the network.
Other recent achievements include the announcement that CSP Abu Dhabi terminal is the first container terminal in the Middle East to implement an autonomous port truck system. A total of six electric Q-Trucks have been commissioned to support mother vessel loading and unloading activities within the facility’s container yard.
Linton Nightingale, Lloyd’s List deputy editor, said: “Khalifa Port in Abu Dhabi has continued to go from strength-to-strength having gained support from two of the world’s largest container shipping lines, MSC and COSCO, helping draw traffic too from their affiliated alliances.
“The port has cemented itself as a premier hub for container transhipment services in the Middle East and is on the cusp of becoming a top 50 box hub in terms of annual TEUs volumes. This is a remarkable achievement given how Khalifa Port has attained this status in such a short timeframe.”