Stevin Rock and Etihad Rail have signed an agreement under which the UAE’s national railway company will transport raw materials produced in the Ras Al Khaimah operations of the quarrying giant to Abu Dhabi on its freight network.
His Highness Sheikh Saud bin Saqr Al Qasimi, UAE Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Ras Al Khaimah, was present among several executives and officials from both organisations at the signing of the agreement between the two entities, with the signatories being Etihad Rail CEO Shadi Malak and Stevin Rock GM Naser Bustami.
The agreement is the first in a series of commercial agreements for Stage Two of the UAE National Rail Network, which will see major organisations in the UAE connected to the rest of the country via Etihad Rail’s network stretching over 605km from Al Ghuwaifat on the UAE border with Saudi Arabia in the west to the port of Fujairah on the eastern coast, said a statement from Etihad Rail.
The statement added that an estimated 3.5 million tonnes of construction material will be carried annually from Stevin Rock’s Al Ghail quarry in Ras Al Khaimah to Abu Dhabi, through 500 annual train trips. Each train will measure 1km in length, hauling 70 wagons with a carrying capacity of 7,000t per journey. The agreement is expected to have significant environmental benefits, with an annual reduction of 100,000 truck trips.
Shadi Malak said: “By connecting with quarries in the Northern Emirates, Etihad Rail will ensure faster and more cost-effective delivery of construction materials. In turn, we continue to deliver on our commitment to contribute to the reduction of carbon emissions by decreasing truck movement on the roads, supporting our overall ethos of a sustainable future and the UAE’s wider sustainability targets.
“Stevin Rock is one of the largest companies in the global quarrying sector. As a primary company that has signed an agreement with us, they will benefit from the integrated transport solutions that Stage Two of the project will provide upon completion. Stevin Rock will be one of the first to witness the benefits associated with the interconnectivity that Etihad Rail will establish within the emirates, transporting their products from Ras Al Khaimah to Abu Dhabi’s logistics hub, the Industrial City of Abu Dhabi (ICAD), in addition to the benefits corresponding with the future planned wider GCC network, which will offer new business opportunities to enhance operations and business models of potential customers.”
Naser Bustami added: “We are proud and happy to have reached an agreement with Etihad Rail that will provide a sustainable alternative to road transport, contributing significantly to Stevin Rock’s continuous efforts to reduce its carbon footprint. Moreover, rail transport will allow us to be more competitive on pricing our products in Abu Dhabi.