Abu Dhabi Ports and the Port of Fujairah signed a 35 year concession agreement, for the establishment of “Fujairah Terminals”, a new operational arm wholly owned by Abu Dhabi Ports.
Through the establishment of ‘Fujairah Terminals’, the agreement will grant Abu Dhabi Ports the exclusivity to enhance existing infrastructure in addition to managing all Container, General Cargo, RoRo and Cruise Ships in the Port. It further extends this exclusivity throughout the emirate of Fujairah for Container business.
The agreement also includes deepening of berths to enable the Port, which already serves clients and companies in the entire Gulf Region, Indian Ocean and Indian Subcontinent, to cater to larger vessels.
According to Sheikh Saleh bin Mohammed bin Hamad Al Sharqi, this agreement comes in line with the directives of the Ruler of Fujairah, to further develop the Port of Fujairah and support the strategic role it plays in enhancing the UAE’s economic growth.
Dr. Sultan Al Jaber noted that this concession agreement reflects Abu Dhabi Port’s and Port of Fujairah’s efforts to develop infrastructure in the UAE, in line with the leadership’s vision to drive economic and trade growth across all sectors, by leveraging the geography of this strategic port to contribute to the development of the UAE’s tourism.
Abu Dhabi Ports:
- will be investing in the infrastructure of Fujairah Ports. Development includes deepening of berths to -16.5 metres to allow bigger vessels to come to the Port of Fujairah, building an approximate 300,000 sqm yard of storage space, as well as an additional 1km quay to accommodate the expected growth in the number of ships arriving to the port, increasing shipping operations in the process.
- will equip Fujairah Ports with STS post panama quay cranes, RTG’s as well as new IT systems, to meet the needs of global shipping companies and service operators in line with the highest international standards.
Commenting on the agreement, Captain Mohammed Jumaa Al Shamsi said: “This agreement will offer clients on the east coast more options, it will also allow the re-export of goods that arrive at Khalifa Port to India, Pakistan and East Africa in addition to receiving general cargo for clients in the northern emirates.”
Abu Dhabi Ports will commence with the development of berths and yards in 2018. The port will remain operational during this time to service existing and new clients. Additional capacity and new quay cranes will begin operations in 2021, including the post panama quay cranes.
The Port of Fujairah is the only multi-purpose port on the Eastern seaboard of the United Arab Emirates and is strategically located on the UAE’s Indian Ocean coast, close to the east west shipping routes. Its location offers shipping lines efficient transshipment options and an excellent platform to serve the entire Gulf Region, the Indian Subcontinent, Pakistan, the Red Sea, East Africa and several neighbouring countries.
The port’s capacity is expected to reach 1 million TEUs and 700,000 tons of general cargo by 2030.
