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His Highness Sheikh Hazza bin Zayed Al Nahyan, National Security Advisor and Deputy Chairman of Abu Dhabi Executive Council, officially opened the new Abu Dhabi Cruise Terminal on December 13th.
MSC Cruises, the Switzerland-based global is the first cruise line to choose Abu Dhabi and the new terminal as its home port for the 2015/16 season. MSC Musica which berthed at the terminal on the inaugural day will call various ports of the region in the UAE and Oman during this season.
“We have achieved a major milestone by completing this ambitious cruise terminal project within one year,” said Captain Mohamed Juma Al Shamisi, chef executive officer at Abu Dhabi Ports. “This has proved the capacity of Abu Dhabi Ports to expeditiously execute major projects and initiatives for the greater common good,” he added.
Zayed Port recently hosted three cruise vessels on the same day. Island Sky, owned by Noble Caledonia, docked at Zayed Port as part of a 16-day voyage from Muscat in Oman to Mumbai in India. Europa 2, owned by Hapag-Lloyd, was on a 20-day cruise from Dubai to Mauritius, while Seven Seas Voyager, owned by Regent Seven Seas Cruises, berthed at Abu Dhabi as part of a global itinerary.
Zayed Port has scheduled 111 vessel calls with 205,000 passengers from across the globe during the 2015/2016 season. This will represent a 500 per cent increase in the number of passengers and ships visiting Abu Dhabi since the first cruise season during 2006/2007. The port’s cruise business is projected to reach more than 300,000 passengers on 130 ship calls by the 2019-2020 season, boosted by the new cruise terminal and the Arabian Gulf’s first cruise beach stopover at Sir Bani Yas Island that has already started receiving cruise vessels.
The opening of the cruise terminal were carried out in coordination with Abu Dhabi Ports’ strategic partners such as Etihad Airways, Tourism and Culture Authority-Abu Dhabi, Abu Dhabi Customs, and Abu Dhabi Airports Company (ADAC). The new terminal building offers many passenger-friendly facilities including tourist information services and passport border control counters to ensure smooth and timely customs process. The aesthetically pleasing and eco-friendly building will celebrate the UAE’s cultural heritage and pay tribute to its long maritime history. A fusion of traditional Arabic ornaments and modern architectural elements define the building’s distinctive style. A particular eye-catcher is the building’s roof design which is a lattice-work, taking the UAE’s national tree, the Ghaf, as inspiration. Wooden beams inside the building take inspiration from the UAE’s traditional dhow sailing vessels.
