AD Ports Group has signed a shareholder agreement between its digital arm, Maqta Gateway, and Aqaba Development Corporation (ADC) for their joint venture, Maqta Ayla, to establish a port community system (PCS) at the Port of Aqaba.
Maqta Gateway will control 51 per cent of Maqta Ayla, with ADC holding the remaining 49 per cent.
The joint venture business will transform Aqaba’s port operations by deploying a new PCS that draws on Maqta Gateway’s experience, as well as marking the first export of Abu Dhabi’s main port digitalisation solution.
The PCS is expected to facilitate communications and transactions between the Ports of Aqaba, its terminal operators, the Aqaba Special Economic Zone Authority (ASEZA), ADC, and other stakeholders in the port’s ecosystem, streamlining services and achieving next-level efficiencies for the port city of Aqaba and Jordan.
The solution is planned to be operational within 12 months, with carbon emission reductions equivalent to 90,000 in-person visits within a year of deployment.
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The Ports of Aqaba, located at the crossroads of three continents, handle 80 per cent of Jordan’s exports and 65 per cent of its imports.
Aqaba Container Terminal is reportedly the second busiest along the Red Sea and the fourth largest in the area, with an annual traffic of over 1.3 million TEU.
Captain Mohamed Juma Al Shamisi, Managing Director and Group CEO, AD Ports Group, said: “Guided by our leadership, we remain steadfast in our approach to support the economic development plans of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan.
“We are excited to see our ports’ digitalisation expertise and advanced technology know-how being leveraged for the Port of Aqaba. We look forward to offering them across more international locations to continue on our mission of transforming global trade.”
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Dr. Noura Al Dhaheri, CEO of Digital Cluster and CEO of Maqta Gateway, AD Ports Group, stated: “This new agreement seeks to further strengthen our solid partnership with the Aqaba Development Corporation and fast-track our joint efforts towards digitalising the Port of Aqaba, making it more intelligent, resilient and cost-efficient.
“With digitalisation of ports’ processes; customer and stakeholder experiences will see a huge uplift, boosting trade and driving economic prosperity. Building on our reputation of being an AI led nation and in line with the direction of our wise leadership, we will continue our efforts towards development and deployment of innovative solutions, locally and globally.”
