Abu Dhabi Ports plans to move all the UAE capital’s roll-on/roll-off (RORO) cargo traffic to the new Khalifa Port, it said in a statement.
RORO cargo refers to wheeled cargo that is driven on and off ships, as opposed to being lifted using cranes or put in containers. Heavy vehicles, like tractors and bulldozers, as well as private and commercial automobiles like cars, trucks and buses are typically transported as RORO cargo.
Abu Dhabi RORO volumes grew by 18.8% in 2014 compared with the previous year, with the emirate recording an all-time high of 106,071 units, Abu Dhabi Ports said in a statement.
“Over recent years, Abu Dhabi’s RORO business has increased significantly. As the UAE is a growing market for the automotive sector, our business strategy is to support this growth by developing and enhancing Abu Dhabi’s port infrastructure,” said Capt. Mohamed Juma Al Shamisi, CEO of Abu Dhabi Ports.
Khalifa Port, which began operations in 2012, offers additional berthing facilities and an enhanced throughput capacity. Its current annual capacity of 360,000 vehicle units per year is nearly three times that of Zayed Port, with plans to upgrade the capacity to 500,000 units annually in the future. The port’s RORO hub also has the potential to cater to the wider GCC, Africa and the Indian subcontinent.
Moreover, the port can handle up to four of the largest RORO vessels at a time. It is located in the Khalifa Industrial Zone (Kizad), halfway between Abu Dhabi and Dubai.
“With Khalifa Port, we are now able to offer a consolidated full service RORO hub supported by the adjacent Kizad,” Al Shamisi said.
“Moving forward, the extended space and capacity at the port will cater for the emirate’s import, export and transshipment volumes and enable us to offer economies of scale to our customers.”