AD Ports, CMA CGM to invest AED570 million in new container terminal at Khalifa

UAE-based AD Ports Group and French shipowner CMA CGM have entered into a 35-year concession agreement on the construction and operation of a new container terminal in Abu Dhabi’s Khalifa Port.

The facility will be managed by a joint venture owned by CMA CGM subsidiary CMA Terminals with a 70 per cent stake and AD Ports Group with a 30 per cent stake. The partners expect to commit approximately AED570 million (US$154 million) to the project.

With construction starting in 2021, the new terminal is set to be handed over in 2024. Under phase one, the facility will have an initial quay length of 800 metres and an estimated annual capacity of 1.8 million TEUs.

AD Ports Group will be responsible for developing a wide range of supporting marine works and infrastructure. This includes up to a total of 1,200 metres of quay wall, a 3,800-metre breakwater, a fully built-out rail platform, and 700,000 square metres of terminal yard.

The terminal will provide CMA CGM with a new regional hub and will enable the company to develop its service offering between Abu Dhabi and South Asia, West Asia, East Africa, Europe, and the Mediterranean as well as the Middle East and the Indian sub-continent.