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General cargo moving through Abu Dhabi’s commercial ports has increased by 37% in the first six months of this year. The emirate’s three main ports – Musaffah, Khalifa and Zayed – handled 6.4 million tonnes of general cargo, compared to 4.7 million tonnes in the first half of 2013. “These figures show a strong first half of 2014 and indicate a promising six months ahead”, said Capt. Mohamed Juma Al Shamisi, chief executive offices, Abu Dhabi Ports Corporation.”We expect that we will handle more than 12 million tonnes by the end of this year, compared to 9.5 million tonnes handled last year.”
While Abu Dhabi’s ongoing economic growth is the main reason for the increased general cargo flows, the upward trends has also been driven by ADPC’s work with key customers such as Emirates Aluminium (EMAL), Emirates Steel, Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) and Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation (ENEC) to enhance supply chain efficiencies. Another reason for growing import and export activities at Abu Dhabi’s commercial ports is the progress of several key infrastructure projects, including the midfield terminal at Abu Dhabi Airport, as well as the upcoming Louvre Museum Abu Dhabi, the Guggenheim Museum, and various building projects in the Western Region, many of which require significant imports of project cargo and building materials.
Against this backdrop, ADPC is enhancing its capacity for general and bulk cargo at Abu Dhabi ports, with a special focus on Mina Zayed. After announcing an AED 20 (US$ 5.5) million investment in essential maintenance work at Mina Zayed in March, ADPC is now pressing on with upgrading port equipment to ensure it can handle increased cargo flows in an efficient way.
