Abu Dhabi Ports Company (ADPC), the master developer of ports and industrial zones and Abu Dhabi Terminals (ADT), the operator of commercial port in the emirate, are today (September 1), celebrating the first year of commercial operations at the Khalifa Port.
 
Owned by ADPC and operated by ADT, the port has gone from a pristine stretch of reclaimed land four kilometers out to sea, to busy hub port serving 17 shipping lines, offering 18 direct services with direct links to more than 40 ports in just one year.
 
It is the very first semi-automated port in the Middle East, a hitech facility with world class technology.

Khalifa Port was officially inaugurated by Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan President of the UAE and Ruler of Abu Dhabi, on December 12, 2012.

It was built to accommodate all of the container traffic from Zayed Port and the additional cargo generated by the adjacent Khalifa Industrial Zone Abu Dhabi (Kizad).  

Today, Khalifa Port is the gateway to Abu Dhabi, handling all of the container traffic for the emirate. A deep sea port with a 16m draft, it is deep enough for the biggest ships sailing the oceans today.

With six ship to shore cranes, 30 automated stacking cranes, 20 sprinter carriers to move containers between stack and quay, the ship to shore cranes are some of the largest in the world, able to reach across a width of 22 containers stacked on a ship.

One year on, direct connections link Khalifa Port to more than 40 international destinations and transshipment at the world’s main hubs, such as Singapore, Tanjung Pelepas on the Straits of Malacca; Hong Kong and Shenzhen in the Pearl River Delta; Port Said at Suez Canal; and Algeciras and Tangiers at the Straits of Gibraltar all offer customers a truly global reach.

The port’s first year of commercial operations includes some notable achievements including an 8 per cent increase in productivity for January to July 2013, when compared with the same period last year and in July the terminal handled a record 81,000 TEU containers – the most ever handled in one month in the emirate.
 
Also in July, the port achieved its highest crane production, with 43.3 crane moves per hour, while loading and unloading the CSL Ride, and in August the terminal achieved a work production rate of 142.4MPH, both achievements placing the terminal in the global top ten for productivity.

Khalifa Port is, with the adjacent Khalifa Industrial Zone Abu Dhabi (Kizad), a key element in the Abu Dhabi Economic Vision 2030.  
Together Khalifa Port and Kizad are increasing international trade, developing the industrial landscape and creating employment opportunities. By 2030, both will generate 15 per cent of the emirates non-oil GDP.

They offer customers an integrated transport structure, ease of doing business and access to global markets linking East and West in international trade.  

Marking the first anniversary of commercial operations, Mohamed Al Shamisi, the acting chief executive of ADPC said Khalifa Port and Kizad industrial zone are together, the biggest infrastructure project ever undertaken in the emirate.

"Together we are developing a world class sustainable hub port that is already actively enhancing international trade, providing direct access to global markets, and creating development and employment opportunities for the UAE," he added.

Martijn Van de Linde, the ADT chief executive and the manager and operator of Khalifa Port Container Terminal said the Khalifa Port lays the foundation for a diverse economy and gives businesses the best possible opportunity to compete in the global market place.

“Since the commercial opening last year, our customers have enjoyed 35 per cent productivity increases at the quayside, so ships spend less time in port. We have also cut the trucks turnaround time by 64 per cent. So today a truck spends only about 15 minutes at the terminal to pick-up or drop-off a container,” added Van de Linde.

According to him, Khalifa Port phase I has capacity for 2.5 million TEU containers and 12 million tonnes of cargo, however, the terminal is being developed in stages, increasing its capacity as market requirements increase.

Ultimately,the port will have capacity for 15 million TEU containers and 35 million tonnes of cargo, making it one of the very biggest ports in the world, he added.-TradeArabia News Service