AD Ports opens first inland dry port facility in Abu Dhabi

24/02/2025 10:15 AST

AD Ports Group, an enabler of integrated trade, transport and logistics solutions, today announced the inauguration of a new custom bound inland dry port facility, enhancing the connectivity of Khalifa Port and elevating the quality of logistics services across the UAE.

Al Faya Dry Port, strategically located between Abu Dhabi and Dubai, will act as an Inland Container Depot (ICD) linked overland to Khalifa Port, offering a transit terminal for trucks and thus improving speed to market, and more cost-efficient cargo handling operations for Dubai and the Northern Emirates.

Al Faya Dry Port will serve CMA CGM as its first key client but will be scaled up to also serve AD Ports Group's other strategic shipping partners at Khalifa Port such as Cosco and MSC. Depending on market demand, other ICDs could also be put in place across Abu Dhabi, AD Ports said.

The opening of the ICD facility in Al Faya complements and extends the commercial reach of CMA Terminals Khalifa Port, inaugurated in December 2024 to reach end customers across the UAE.

Al Faya Dry Port is digitally integrated with Khalifa Port through Maqta Technologies' Advanced Trade & Logistics Platform (ATLP). Bridging the gap between Khalifa Port and the final destination of the cargo, the new facility enables CMA CGM and other operators at Khalifa Port to generate origin and destination (O&D) business. The dry port truck terminal has an initial container capacity of 900 Twenty Foot Equivalent Units (TEUs) but has been built to be easily scalable, depending on demand, it said.

Al Faya Dry Port is the latest example of a growing collaboration between AD Ports Group and CMA CGM, a global player in sea, land, air, and logistics following the recent signing of a shareholders' agreement, to jointly develop, manage and operate the New East Mole multipurpose terminal in Pointe Noire, Congo-Brazzaville, for which AD Ports Group received a 30-year extendable concession in June 2023, it said.

Captain Mohamed Juma Al Shamisi, Managing Director and Group CEO of AD Ports Group, said: "The opening of Al Faya Dry Port is not only a tangible example of our support to key commercial partners, but a sign of our commitment to raising the quality of supply chains across the UAE, which will benefit individuals and businesses across the country in line with the vision of our wise leadership. The ICD is another sign of our growing collaboration with our key strategic partner CMA CGM Group, both at home and abroad. For CMA CGM, this inland container depot will effectively expand their addressable market from Abu Dhabi to the entire UAE. The creation of this key infrastructure hub supports the Group and CMA Terminals Khalifa Port's joint efforts to streamline and optimise the supply chain of customers across the UAE."

The facility is International Shipping & Port Facility Security Code (ISPS) compliant, which ensures it meets the highest global industry standards for port facilities. It is also customs bounded, designed for quick truck turnaround, allowing fast cargo movement, AD Ports said.

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