Abu Dhabi Ports Company (ADPC) is transferring all of its roll-on and roll-off (ro-ro) cargo, such as cars and trucks, from Zayed Port to Khalifa Port.  

The move comes as a result of Abu Dhabi’s growing vehicle import and export business and will be effective from January 1 next year.

As the maritime gateway to Abu Dhabi and one of the most advanced ports in the world, Khalifa Port offers more facilities and an increasing number of direct links - currently 52 - to destination ports around the globe.

The current ro-ro import and export activities serve Abu Dhabi and the UAE, but the extended space and capacity at Khalifa Port will attract more ro-ro transshipment for the wider Gulf region, facilitating a more competitive and therefore customer-friendly market.

While Zayed Port has many vehicle slots on its port site and can handle two ro-ro vessels at a time, Khalifa Port will have 15,000 slots and will be able to handle up to four vessels at a time.  

The new ro-ro hub at Khalifa Port will be designed to guarantee quick turnaround times and supply chain efficiency for shipping lines, said the statement.

During the transitional period Zayed Port will continue to provide a storage area for the remaining vehicles, it said.

Captain Mohamed Juma Al Shamisi, CEO of ADPC, said: “By moving all of our ro-ro traffic to Khalifa Port, we can enhance our facilities and offer our customers a consolidated full service ro-ro hub, supported by the adjacent Kizad logistics and distribution zone.

“We can develop and drive the growth of this important industry as demand for vehicles across the Emirate continues to grow, while developing our transshipment trade with other destinations.”

ADPC’s latest figures underline the massive growth of Abu Dhabi’s ro-ro business - a record number of 10,472 vehicles were handled at Zayed Port in October, the highest number of vehicles ever handled in a single month.

“From 2013 to the end of this year, we are anticipating a year-on-year increase of around 13 per cent. As our market analysis indicates, next year, we expect to exceed 130,000 vehicles at Khalifa. With Khalifa Port as Abu Dhabi’s new market base for ro-ro cargo, we will be able to effectively cater for this growth and offer economies of scale to our customers,” Al Shamisi added. - TradeArabia News Service