His Highness Sheikh Hamad bin Mohammed Al Sharqi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Fujairah, witnessed at Al Remailah Palace on Monday, the signing of a 35-year concession agreement between Abu Dhabi Ports and the Port of Fujairah.

As part of the agreement, the entities have announced the establishment of "Fujairah Terminals", a new operational arm wholly owned by Abu Dhabi Ports.

In attendance were Sheikh Saleh bin Mohammed bin Hamad Al Sharqi, Chairman of the Department of Industry and Economy, Fujairah and Chairman of the Board of Port of Fujairah, and Dr Sultan bin Ahmed Al Jaber, Minister of State and Chairman of Abu Dhabi Ports. The agreement was signed by Mohamed Juma Al Shamisi, CEO of Abu Dhabi Ports and Captain Mousa Murad, General Manager of Port of Fujairah.

Sheikh Saleh said: "This agreement comes in line with the directives of Ruler of Fujairah, to further develop the Port of Fujairah and support the strategic role it plays in enhancing the UAE's economic growth. We look forward to working closely with Abu Dhabi Ports in making this strategic partnership mutually beneficial both in the short and long term and enhancing Fujairah Port's capabilities and strengths both regionally and internationally."

The announcement is testament to Abu Dhabi Ports' efforts to strengthen the development and operation of ports and terminals across the UAE and its contribution to the growth of a diversified, knowledge-based economy. Through the establishment of 'Fujairah Terminals', the agreement will grant Abu Dhabi Ports the exclusivity to enhance existing infrastructure in addition to managing all Container, General Cargo, RoRo and Cruise Ships in the Port. It further extends this exclusivity throughout the emirate of Fujairah for Container business.

The agreement also includes deepening of berths to enable the Port, which already serves clients and companies in the entire Gulf Region, Indian Ocean and Indian Subcontinent, to cater to larger vessels. Abu Dhabi Ports will be investing in the infrastructure of Fujairah Ports, further enhancing its capabilities. Development includes deepening of berths to -16.5 metres to allow bigger vessels to come to the Port of Fujairah, building an approximate 300,000 sqm yard of storage space, as well as an additional 1km quay to accommodate the expected growth in the number of ships arriving to the port, increasing shipping operations in the process.

Abu Dhabi Ports will also work on equipping Fujairah Ports with new and advanced equipment such as STS post panama quay cranes, RTG's as well as new IT systems, bringing efficiency to operations and better equipping it to meet the needs of global shipping companies and service operators in line with the highest international standards. Maqta Gateway, a wholly owned subsidiary of Abu Dhabi Ports will be engaged to develop a Port Community System that links port communities with various departments, facilities and operations.

Dr Sultan Al Jaber said: "This concession agreement reflects Abu Dhabi Port's and Port of Fujairah's efforts to develop infrastructure in the UAE in line with the leadership's vision to help drive economic and trade growth across all sectors. We strongly believe that developing Fujairah Port and increasing its capabilities will enable it keep up with the industry's constant growth."

 "Abu Dhabi Ports will utilise all its capabilities and expertise to enable Port of Fujairah to achieve its objectives, based on best practices. In particular we plan to leverage the geography of this strategic port to contribute to the development of the UAE's commercial and tourism sectors."

Captain Mohammed Jumaa Al Shamsi said, "Signing with the Port of Fujairah marks a major milestone for Abu Dhabi Ports. This significant investment will see Abu Dhabi Ports share best practices with Port of Fujairah, which is one of the most important economic and commercial ports operating in the UAE, to further complement services offered at both Khalifa Port and Zayed Port. This agreement will offer clients on the east coast more options, it will also allow the re-export of goods that arrive at Khalifa Port to India, Pakistan and East Africa in addition to receiving general cargo for clients in the northern emirates." 

Source: Khaleej Times