Following the great milestone in September, 2011, when Abu Dhabi Ports Company (ADPC) held a keel laying ceremony for two 32 metre-long escort tugboats, Al Fenci and Al Durrah at the Grandweld shipbuilding yard in Dubai, today it witnessed their arrival at Khalifa Port.
A ceremony was held to mark the event, with stakeholders invited such as the Abu Dhabi Department of Transport, Critical National Infrastructure Authority (CNIA), Abu Dhabi Customs, Irshad, Abu Dhabi Terminals (ADT), and Grandweld . The celebration featured a speech by Captain Mohamed Al Shamisi, Executive Vice President of Ports’ Unit, ADPC, followed by a speech by Jamal Abki, General Manager, Grandweld, a signing ceremony and ribbon-cutting at the quay wall, followed by an Iftar.
Captain Mohamed Al Shamisi, EVP, Ports’ Unit, ADPC, commented:
“ADPC could not be prouder at yet again reaching another milestone. We share this pride with our ADPC stakeholders and customers and we are dedicated to providing them with the highest quality of services. We are very excited that our first brand new tugboats for Khalifa Port have finally arrived as they are especially designed to complement the world class Port ”.
Jamal Abki, General Manager, Grandweld commented:
“We thank Abu Dhabi Ports Company for giving us the opportunity to build their first escort tugs for Khalifa Port. We at Grandweld understood the requirements of ADPC for top quality tugs. Therefore, these tugs were built to the most advanced design and fitted with the highest quality equipment that will ensure reliability and mission readiness for heavy duty operations at the Port. We are proud to advise that both Al Fenci and Al Durrah have successfully passed stringent testing requirements during extensive sea trials that were attended and certified by the American Bureau of Shipping. Both vessels over-performed on speed and bollard pull, which categorize the capabilities and value of the tugs.”
The new Khalifa Port will be the most technologically advanced in the region, with a semi-automated container terminal and a wide range of productivity enhancing processes. It will have an initial annual capacity of 2.5 million containers and 12 million tons of cargo and will be able to receive the largest container ships in the world.