Khalifa Port, the flagship port of Abu Dhabi Ports, is set for further expansion with a planned investment of AED 4 billion (USD 1.08 billion) aimed at boosting the company’s handling capacity.
The investment will see AED 2.2 billion assigned to the development of the South Quay and Khalifa Port Logistics, as well as AED 1.6 billion expansion at Abu Dhabi Terminals, the port operator said on the seventh anniversary of the port’s operation.
“With this capacity expansion project in place, Khalifa Port will see its container handling capacity jump from current 5 million to 7.5 million TEUs, which sets it firmly on the path towards its 9 million TEU milestone over the next five years,” the port operator added.
The South Quay development which is scheduled to complete by Q1 of 2021 is composed of a three km quay-wall with 18.5 metres along-side draft for general cargo, ro-ro and bulk usage. It will also include eight berths, and 1.3 million square metres of terminal yard.
The Khalifa Logistics expansion, for multi-purpose usage, will encompass a 3.1km quay wall with 8-metre draft, 15 berths, and land plots.
The expansion at ADT will include an extension of the quay from 1,400 to 2,265 metres and an addition of 10 new ship-to-shore quay cranes — doubling ADT’s handling capacity from 2.5 million to 5 million TEUs. Additionally, the new investment will include technological advancements, such as fully automated truck loading and discharge.
Furthermore, after one year CSP Abu Dhabi Terminal has shifted from its trial operation phase to being commercially fully operational.
The terminal at Khalifa Port was inaugurated in December last year by COSCO Shipping Ports and Abu Dhabi Ports as the regional hub for COSCO’s global network of 36 ports as part of China’s Belt and Road Initiative.
The deep-water, semi-automated container terminal is the result of the 35-year agreement between Abu Dhabi Ports and CSP.
“Khalifa Port continues to expand and innovate to meet the diverse needs of our business partners, while driving forward the UAE’s economy and its strategic partnership with China, its largest non-oil trading partner. The volumes of cargo that we will move over the coming decades will serve as testament to the farsighted vision of Abu Dhabi’s leadership. Khalifa Port is not only a global maritime hub but also an important contributor to the connectivity of China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), ” Capt. Mohamed Juma Al Shamisi, Group CEO of Abu Dhabi Ports, said.
At the start of June 2019, Khalifa Port became the first GCC port capable of receiving calls from fully-laden Capesize vessels at its quay. The milestone itself was inaugurated with the arrival of the Cape Taweelah coming from the Republic of Guinea carrying a shipment of bauxite ore destined for Emirates Global Aluminium’s (EGA) Al Taweelah alumina refinery.
In order for Khalifa Port to accommodate Capesize vessels, the facility’s approaches were deepened from 16.5 to 18.5 metres and widened from 250 to 280 metres.