- UAE-China Partnership at Khalifa Port Celebrates 12 Months of Success
Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, 15 April 2020: On the occasion of its first year anniversary, Khalifa Port’s CSP Abu Dhabi Terminal, has announced it has accomplished over 800,000 hours without lost-injury time (LTI) and surpassed the 540,000 TEU mark since its operational soft launch last April.
Based at Abu Dhabi Port’s flagship port, Khalifa Port, the terminal is the result of a 35-year lease agreement between COSCO SHIPPING Ports Limited (CSP) and Abu Dhabi Ports.
Serving as a regional base for COSCO SHIPPING Ports’ global network of 48 terminals, the AED 1.1 billion deep-water, semi-automated container terminal has achieved the important benchmarks after successfully handling 416 vessels, including some of the world’s largest, together with 312,000 cargo movements.
Commencing full operations in November 2019, and with a design capacity of 2.5 million TEU, CSP Abu Dhabi Terminal is the first international greenfield subsidiary of COSCO SHIPPING Ports, whose parent company, China COSCO Shipping Corporation Limited, is the largest integrated shipping enterprise in the world.
The two records, for safety and TEU’s, were simultaneously achieved, ahead of schedule, in February and March respectively.
Captain Mohamed Juma Al Shamisi, Abu Dhabi Ports Group CEO, said: “Reaching these key safety and operational milestones is a tremendous achievement for CSP Abu Dhabi Terminal, and demonstrates our commitment to helping position Abu Dhabi as one of the world’s premier logistics and trade hubs.
“Our long-term strategic partnership with COSCO SHIPPING Ports is bearing fruit thanks to the directives and support of our leadership, and these impressive results demonstrate Abu Dhabi’s strength in enabling international trade by handling and moving high-volumes of cargo efficiently and safely.”
“Abu Dhabi Ports has heavily invested in developing world-class technology and infrastructure to ensure our maritime and logistics assets act a conduit for attracting foreign direct investment and enhancing commerce.”
Naser Al Busaeedi, Deputy CEO, CSP Abu Dhabi Terminal, said: “In the long-term, our strong partnership with Abu Dhabi Ports allows us to take advantage of world-class infrastructure, to seize opportunities in new growth markets and put our customers first.
“We are confident that our strategic location, in proximity to Khalifa Industrial Zone Abu Dhabi (KIZAD), the region’s largest industrial zone, and our interconnected multimodal transportation links, will assist us in creating new opportunities to meet demand and maximise efficiency across the entire supply chain.
“Our commitment to Khalifa Port’s ongoing enhancement allows Abu Dhabi to not only increase trade flows to the region, but positions our port as a highly significant hub within China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).”
With the ability to serve multiple mega-ship calls, Khalifa Port is set to complete major projects within the next 12 months including a AED 2.2 billion development of its South Quay and Khalifa Port Logistics.
Featuring ultra-modern maritime infrastructure, including 28 of the world’s largest ship-to-shore quay cranes, Khalifa Port will be the first in the UAE to be connected to the new Etihad Rail network, which is currently under construction.
