Abu Dhabi Terminals will be spending around US$109 million in the next three years for the expansion of Khalifa Port Container Terminal in order to handle more cargo.
CEO Martijn Van De Linde told Gulf News that the money would be spent on new cranes and increasing the yard capacity of the port, located in Taweelah, midway between Dubai and Abu Dhabi.
Linde said: “We have continued to expand and add more facilities at the port. This year we increased the storage capacity at the warehouse to 200,000 tonnes. We commissioned three new key cranes and ten automated cranes in the yard. We invest and grow ahead of demand so that we can avoid congestion.”
The main import commodities at the port are hay, oil and gas related products, as well as metals, foodstuff, paper, construction material, machinery parts, pipes and tyres.
For the future, Linde said that Abu Dhabi Terminals would continue to expand the network of vessels, increase the capacity and try to automate the port.
He concluded: “We are also planning to invest in developing another port island ten years down the road and continue to expand in the sea side.”
The port is capable of receiving and handling the largest vessels in the world and was rankedfifth in Europe, the Middle-East and Africa by the Journal of Commerce for port productivity in 2013.
