Abu Dhabi Terminals (ADT), which operates four commercial seaports in Abu Dhabi, said it will increase the tariffs at the ports from next year.

'There will be an average 10 per cent increase in storage and handling charges,' ADT chief executive officer Mohammad Al Mannaei was quoted as saying in the Gulf News.

The terminals operates Mina Zayed, Musaffah, Freeport and New Dhow Harbour seaports.

ADT had last increased tariffs at the seaports in January, when all port charges except those for stevedoring were revised. The port dues are levied on the basis of gross registered tonnage (GRT) of the vessels.

'Even after the increases, our port charges will still be the lowest in the region. This includes comparison with Jebel Ali, Fujairah and Sharjah ports in the UAE as well,' Al Mannaei said.

He said the global meltdown has yet to directly affect the sea transportation sector in the UAE.

'This year there has been a 50 per cent increase overall in general cargo in Mina Zayed - main components of which are building materials and pipe for the oil industry - and a 30 per increase in container activity,' Al Mannaei said.

He said according to the Abu Dhabi Ports Company, the developer of the Khalifa seaport in Taweelah, the port is now about 50 per cent complete.

Al Mannaei added that he expected the first phase of Khalifa port to be completed on schedule in 2011. The management of Khalifa port will be shared by ADT and DP World.

'In the first phase, the container terminal at Khalifa port will have a handling capacity of five million TEUs (20-foot equivalent units).

During the second phase there will be a general cargo handling capacity added to the port that will have up to 10 million metric tonnes capacity,' said Al Mannaei.

At Mina Zayed, he said ADT will upgrade the capacity of the container terminal to one million TEUs by mid-2009 from 650,000 TEUs 'to accommodate the normal growth of the local market in Abu Dhabi.'