Container and vehicle traffic up in Abu Dhabi’s Khalifa and Zayed ports

Khalifa Port, above, had a benchmark month in December, when it moved 104,000 containers through its terminals. Ryan Carter / Crown Prince Court - Abu Dhabi

Container traffic was up by 14.6 per cent and vehicle traffic up by 11.7 per cent at Abu Dhabi’s Khalifa and Zayed ports respectively, compared with the previous year.

The rise came as Abu Dhabi Ports Company expanded capacity to meet rising consumer demand and population growth with its Dh26.5 billion Khalifa Port and industrial zone complex.

Khalifa Port had a benchmark month in December, when it moved 104,000 containers through its terminals. Traffic since opening in 2012 hit the 1 million container mark in November.

The Khalifa Industrial Zone Abu Dhabi, an industrial area that has rented land to 40 investors, will boost trade with the city. Emirates Aluminium has built one of the world's largest aluminium smelters on the site.

Zayed Port is expanding as a centre for cruise tourism, with 92 cruise vessels calling at the city last year, a gain of 19.5 per cent over the previous year, as the emirate attempts to position itself as a winter sun destination for tourists.

Speaking at a conference in Hamburg, Germany, on the cruise tourism industry this month, Jamal Majid bin Thaniah, the vice chairman of DP World, said: “Cruise tourism is one of the fastest growing [tourist] segments in the world. It’s a young industry in the region, with big potential to grow.”

Khamis Buamim, the chairman of Drydocks World and Maritime World, said: “We’re trying to develop a cluster that creates long-term value for the region. Cruise tourism’s supply chain is sophisticated in many different ways. Leisure ports, crews, sport-related boats – all play an important part in the development of how the industry will go forward. Cruise will be a very powerful development in the future.”

And Hisham Al Shirawi, the deputy chairman of the Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said: “Winter [cruise] tourism for people in the north of Europe is just logical. It’s the perfect place for them to be in winter, when they want to run away from subzero temperatures.”

In December, the Abu Dhabi Tourism and Culture Authority announced plans for a permanent cruise terminal at Zayed Port.

DP World announced 2.7 per cent growth in traffic at the Jebel Ali container port earlier this month, while the Jebel Ali Free Zone also announced significant profit increases, as Dubai's stature as a logistics hub increases.

Big expansions to Dubai’s logistics capabilities are anticipated in the run up to the Expo, with closer cooperation between the existing industrial, aviation, and logistics zones facilities planned as the UAE seeks to leverage its comparative advantages in these areas to drum up business.

The World Economic Forum’s most recent global competitiveness report placed the UAE fifth for infrastructure globally, and first for infrastructure in the Middle East.

“We are pleased to see the growth in [vehicle traffic and cruise tourism] at Zayed Port, [which are] both sectors we are keen to develop,” said Mohamed Al Shamisi, the chief executive of Abu Dhabi Ports Company.