Abu Dhabi Ports commences operations in UAE

Abu Dhabi Ports now has the exclusive ability to enhance the Port of Fujairah’s existing infra and super structure, plus manage all container, general cargo, roll-on/roll-off (ro-ro) and cruise ships at the port.    Seaports developer, operator and manager Abu Dhabi Ports on Sept. 23 celebrated the official commencement of operations of Fujairah Terminals at the Port of Fujairah in the United Arab Emirates.
   Abu Dhabi Ports earlier this year signed a 35-year concession agreement with the Port of Fujairah, under which Fujairah Terminals — a new operational arm wholly owned by Abu Dhabi Ports – has been was established with over a billion United Arab Emirates dirham ($27 million USD) ear-marked for investment in in equipment, and infra and super structure.
   Through Fujairah Terminals, Abu Dhabi Ports has the exclusive ability to enhance the port’s existing infra and super structure, in addition to managing all container, general cargo, ro/ro and cruise ships in the port.
   The agreement, which further extends this exclusivity throughout the emirate of Fujairah for container business, also includes deepening of berths to enable the port, which serves clients and companies in the entire Gulf Region, Indian Ocean and Indian Subcontinent, to cater to larger vessels.
   Abu Dhabi Ports says it will invest in the infrastructure of Fujairah, including deepening berths to -16.5 meters (-54.1 feet) to allow bigger vessels to come to the Port of Fujairah, building an about 300,000 square meter yard (984,251 square feet) of storage space, as well as an additional 1 km (3,280-foot) quay to accommodate the expected growth in the number of ships arriving to the port.
   Abu Dhabi Ports also says that it will work on equipping Fujairah Ports with new and advanced equipment such as STS post panama quay cranes, rubber-tired gantry cranes and new IT systems. Maqta Gateway, a wholly owned subsidiary of Abu Dhabi Ports has been tasked with developing a Port Community System that links port communities with various departments, facilities and operations.
   The development of berths and yards is scheduled to commence in 2018, according to Abu Dhabi Ports. The port is expected to remain operational during development to service existing and new clients, with additional capacity and new quay cranes expected to begin operations in 2020, including the post panama quay cranes.