Abu Dhabi Ports Company, ADPC, has said that general cargo movement through Abu Dhabi's commercial Ports has increased by 37% this year.
Commercial ports (Mussaffah, Khalifa and Zayed Ports) have handled 6.4 million FT of general cargo, compared to 4.7 million FT in the first half of 2014.
This is an increase of 1.74 million FT (freight tonnes) compared with the same period in 2013, the company said in a release yesterday.
"These figures show a strong first half of 2014 and indicate a promising six months ahead," said Capt. Mohamed Juma Al Shamisi, CEO, ADPC and added, "The volume of cargo moving through our ports is on the up. We expect that we will handle more than 12 million FT by the end of this year, compared to 9.5 million FT handled last year." While Abu Dhabi's ongoing economic growth explains some of the increased volumes, another reason is ADPC's work with key customers to consolidate and maximise their supply chain efficiencies. These include local and international businesses such as Emirates Aluminium (EMAL), Emirates Steel, Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) and Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation (ENEC).
Another reason behind the growing import and export activities at Abu Dhabi's commercial ports is the progress of several key infrastructure projects, which are requiring increased import and export volumes.
These include the midfield terminal at Abu Dhabi Airports, as well as the upcoming Louvre Abu Dhabi, the Guggenheim Museum, and various building projects in the Western Region, many of which require specialised project cargo and increased volumes of building materials.
Against this backdrop, ADPC is enhancing its capacity for general and bulk cargo at Abu Dhabi Ports, with a special focus on Zayed Port. After announcing an Dh20 million investment in essential maintenance work at Zayed Port and the Free Ports in March, ADPC is now remapping all of Zayed Port's processes, and upgrading the port's equipment and analysing its business efficiencies to meet cargo flows in the most efficient way