Abu Dhabi Ports reports a surge in cargo movements over the first ten months of the year, with a 36% increase in container volumes at Khalifa Port and a 29% rise in roll-on-roll-off (RORO) traffic.
The Khalifa Port Container Terminal moved 1.2 million TEUs (twenty-foot equivalent units/containers), up from 889,165 in the same period in 2014, Abu Dhabi Ports said in a statement. The busiest single month of the year was October, when the port handled 157,673 TEUs.
The port also saw growth in RORO cargo, which rose 29% to 110,831 vehicles, up from 85,835 vehicles last year. Khalifa Port currently offers a capacity of about 350,000 vehicles a year.
“Our double digit growth in all three cargo sectors, especially the top performance at our flagship Khalifa Port, has a special significance on the backdrop of a slowdown in the global maritime industry. Our growth is set to continue throughout this year,” said Captain Mohamed Juma Al Shamisi, CEO of Abu Dhabi Ports.
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The port operator has been investing heavily in upgrading infrastructure, implementing new technologies and buying new equipment during the past ten months to expand operations.
One of the major investments is the implementation of the Maqta Gateway, a new port community system interlinking all of the relevant parties involved in Abu Dhabi’s growing import and export trade business. The system is set to significantly enhance processing times and communication procedures, Abu Dhabi Ports said.