In preparation for the September 1 operational opening of the Khalifa Port Container Terminal, the Abu Dhabi Ports Company, or ADPC, and Abu Dhabi Terminals, or ADT, held a half-day seminar that shared the latest updates and procedures directly impacting trucking companies and clearing agents which will use the port.

Presided over by ADPC Ports Unit executive vice-president Capt Mohamed Al Shamisi and ADT chief executive officer Martijn Van de Linde, the seminar brought together representatives from the ADPC, the master developer and regulator of Abu Dhabi’s ports; ADT, which manages and operates the Khalifa Port Container Terminal; Abu Dhabi Customs; the Abu Dhabi Ministry of Environment and Water and the Abu Dhabi Food Control Authority, as well as many executives representing the transportation industry.

The Khalifa Port Container Terminal will be the first semi-automated one in the Middle East and North Africa region, and the automated procedures and seamless interaction between all stakeholders provide the trucking companies and clearing agents with optimal opportunities to help Abu Dhabi businesses gain access to the world markets.

“Khalifa Port, including the Container Terminal, will not only handle the existing Abu Dhabi container business, but also serve Khalifa Industrial Zone Abu Dhabi, and offer the industrial zone’s tenants unprecedented access to global markets,” Capt Al Shamisi said.

“This requires carefully-planned procedures that are discussed with the stakeholders before implementation. This is what ours seminar was all about, and I am very pleased to see so many companies accepted our invitation to be part of the process,”

“We really redefine the regional ports industry with the opening of the semi-automated Khalifa Port Container Terminal. We had the opportunity to once again engage with the trucking companies and clearing agents that are an essential part of the logistics chain, and we look forward to also working with other sectors of the market in the months to come. Together we will make a real difference for Abu Dhabi’s businesses,” Van de Linde said.

The Khalifa Port Container Terminal has been designed to handle the largest container vessels currently afloat, while also delivering improved services to the trucking companies that handle the carriage to and from the port.

It will have the capacity to handle 2.5 million TEU containers, with the potential to expand to five million TEU. The port’s master plan calls for an annual capacity of 15 million TEU by 2030.

Khalifa Port will also be developed to cater for general cargo and Ro/Ro. The initial capacity will be 12 million tonnes of cargo, including four million tonnes at the already operational Emal berth. By 2030, the port is planned to handle 35 million tonnes of general cargo every year.