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The Abu Dhabi Ports Company (ADPC), and Abu Dhabi Terminals (ADT) are today celebrating the first entire year of commercial operations at Abu Dhabi’s flagship state of the art the Khalifa Port.
In just one year, Khalifa 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.
Owned by ADPC and operated by Abu Dhabi Terminals (ADT), the port is the very first semi-automated port in the Middle East, a state of the art facility with world class technology.
Khalifa Port which was delivered on time and under budget, commenced commercial operations on 1 September 2012 and the terminal was officially inaugurated by His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan President of the UAE and Ruler of Abu Dhabi, on 12 December 2012.
Khalifa Port 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).
Zayed Port opened in 1972, but by 2011 was operating beyond its capacity - a new modern port with space to grow was urgently needed.
The work to move all container traffic from Zayed Port to the new Khalifa Port was completed three months ahead of schedule and the transition has enabled Zayed Port to focus on bulk cargo, general cargo, RORO and establishing the port as a world class cruise destination.
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.
Khalifa Port’s first year of commercial operations includes some notable achievements including an 8% 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% of the emirates non-oil GDP.
Khalifa Port and Kizad 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, Acting CEO of ADPC said: "Khalifa Port and Kizad industrial zone are together, the biggest infrastructure project ever undertaken in the emirate of Abu Dhabi.
"I would like to thank our leaders and stakeholders for their vision and support. 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".
Martijn Van de Linde, the Chief Executive Officer of Abu Dhabi Terminals, the manager and operator of Khalifa Port Container Terminal added: "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 on 1st September last year, our customers have enjoyed 35% productivity increases at the quayside, so ships spend less time in port. We have also cut the trucks turnaround time by 64%, so today a truck spends only about 15 minutes at the terminal to pick-up or drop-off a container" Mr. Van de Linde added. "Another benefit of the semi-automated operations at the Khalifa Port Container Terminal is that it is a much safer environment than the traditional operating modes used in other regional ports and I am exceptionally proud to say that since we began the first trials here a year ago, we have achieved 1.9 million man hours with no lost time incidents." Khalifa Port Phase One 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.
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