Abu Dhabi Terminals (ADT), the manager and operator of Khalifa Port Container Terminal (KPCT), recently celebrated its 10th anniversary on May 17 in Abu Dhabi, UAE.

ADT was established in 2006 by Emiri Decree No (6), as part of the restructuring of the commercial ports sector in the emirate, and is owned by Abu Dhabi Ports, Mubadala and Mubadala Infrastructure Partners.

Its decade of success includes tripling container volumes in Abu Dhabi while increasing the shipping network from five to more than 50 direct destinations since the transition of Zayed Port to the state-of-the-art Khalifa Port, said a statement from ADT.

ADT was responsible for a smooth transition of all container cargo in Abu Dhabi to Khalifa Port ahead of its inauguration on 12.12.12, it said.

Its latest success came when KPCT was named the world’s second fastest growing port based on its 2015 volume, which stood at 1,504,293 twenty-foot equivalent unit (TEUs), 32 per cent up from the 2014 result, it added.

ADT’s double-digit growth in the last five years success can be attributed to its value-added supply chain services that include the opening of a 700 m tonnes polymer packing plant inside the terminal for its long-term supply chain partner Borouge. Over the years ADT also tremendously increased its warehousing capabilities to offer faster and more efficient supply chain solutions and reduce costs for its customers, said the statement.

Abdulkareem Al Masabi, chairman of ADT, said: “As we celebrate a decade of growth, prosperity, and success, our journey has proved to be an inspirational story of commercial, economic, and technological advancement, while maintaining core values that celebrate our rich cultural heritage.”

“We have succeeded in bringing markets closer to our country, providing a required gateway to get Abu Dhabi where it is today and sustain this momentum into the future,” he said.

Martijn van de Linde, CEO of ADT, said: “We would like to thank our maritime and trade customers for the successes that we have achieved in the past 10 years.”

“The success of our customers is, and will continue to be our success. This milestone is a testament to our commitment to continued innovation, and to the future of the company, our partners and the industry,” he added.

ADT is now ready for the next phase of expansion at Khalifa Port and additional cranes will be added in 2016-2017 to increase the terminal’s annual capacity and satisfy the future demand and volume growth potential, said the statement.

Annual throughput at Abu Dhabi’s container port will grow to 2.5 million TEUs at the completion of this phase of expansion. The facility has future expansion capabilities to grow its annual throughput capacity to 5 million TEU, it added. – TradeArabia News Service