First Vessel to Dock at Khalifa Port
18/07/2012
Region’s first semi-automated port offers customers direct APG services from Far East Khalifa Port signals complete transition from Mina Zayed, tripling container handling capacity
Abu Dhabi, 18th July 2012: In a milestone marking a complete transition from Mina Zayed to Khalifa Port, the first semi-automated port in the region being developed at Al Taweelah’s part of Abu Dhabi Industrial Zone (Kizad), Abu Dhabi Terminals (ADT) announced today the first-ever vessel to call to the Port.
Ever Dynamic, the Evergreen Line container vessel with a total capacity of 4,173 TEU sailed from Colombo Sri Lanka on July 13, and arrived safely at Khalifa Port at xxx on 18th July. Senior representatives from Abu Dhabi Ports Company, and ADT, welcomed the vessel as part of the trials at Khalifa Port, which is gearing up to launch the first phase in September this year.
Mr. Martijn Van de Linde, CEO at ADT, said: “Today is a memorable day for all of us at Abu Dhabi Terminals, as well as the port sector in the UAE and the region. Welcoming the first vessel size container from our first Asian customer into what we hope will become the Middle East’s leading industrial port, heralds a new era of maritime industry here in Abu Dhabi, offering customers in the region direct services from the Far East on APG service.”
“With the arrival of this huge vessel safely to the shores of Khalifa Port, ADT and our key partners, notably Abu Dhabi Ports Company, are fully prepared to start operations of the region’s first semi-automated container terminal in the final quarter of 2012.”
Evergreen Line, the Taiwan-based marine transport company, which operates a fleet of around 170 container vessels, serving more than 240 service locations in over 100 countries, commented, “Khalifa Port is a huge investment by Abu Dhabi to offer customers from the region and other parts of the world a one-stop shop for container business, providing bespoke solutions that meet and exceed our expectations. We look forward to building to full capacity.”
On completion, Khalifa Port will be the first semi-automated port in the region and is equipped to handle an initial capacity of 2.5 million TEU container traffic.