Etihad Rail has transported more than two million tonnes of sulphur from Shah and Habshan in the hydrocarbon-rich Western Region to the port of Ruwais over the past year.
The company, established in 2009 to develop the UAE’s freight and passenger railway networks, said yesterday that it had made the shipments – the equivalent of 66,000 truck trips – over the past 12 months during trial operations.
Since the 264-kilometre first phase of the railway network was completed last year, Etihad Rail's operating partner ERDB has been running freight trials on a daily basis, transporting the sulphur, a major byproduct of oil and gas production, for the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (Adnoc).
Etihad Rail said that full commercial operations were expected to start “shortly” once the company has been granted its regulatory approvals.
When this happens the amount of sulphur transported by rail is expected to more than triple, with Etihad Rail aiming to shift 7 million tonnes of sulphur every year for Adnoc once it enters into full commercial operations.
Sulphur is produced in massive amounts in sour gasfields as hydrogen sulphide is removed from the gas before it can be exploited.
This means that the UAE is expected to produce close to 10 million tonnes a year of sulphur, making the country the world’s top producer of the element. The sulphur will be exported to fertiliser plants around the world.
The amount of sulphur expected to be produced from the Shah field alone is close to 3 million tonnes a year, equivalent to the yearly production of sulphur for the entire country of Japan.
Etihad Rail's fleet currently comprises seven locomotives and 240 hopper wagons which transport the granulated sulphur from two plants in Shah and Habshan to the sulphur handling terminal at Ruwais.
“Transporting more than 2 million tonnes of sulphur in the past year clearly demonstrates Etihad Rail’s unique value proposition as a reliable, safe and environmentally friendly mode of transport,” said Faris Saif Al Mazrouei, Etihad Rail’s chief executive.
The Dh40 billion Etihad Rail project is being built in three main stages. Eventually the network will stretch 1,200km across the UAE, connecting each of the seven emirates with a GCC-wide railway network.
Economists say that the new network should enable the UAE’s manufacturers to expand more quickly.
“Improvements to infrastructure are certainly important for economic growth, and [Etihad Rail] should help to support the movement of goods and people around the region,” said Jason Tuvey, an emerging markets economist at Capital Economics. “The project will help companies to move raw materials, which should help heavy industries in the Gulf, and bring down costs.”
A second phase connecting Jebel Ali in Dubai with Khalifa Port in Abu Dhabi is also planned. Contracts to undertake work on the 628km freight phase of the railway line were first tendered in 2012 but so far none have been awarded.
lbarnard@thenational.ae
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Company Profile
Company name: Namara
Started: June 2022
Founder: Mohammed Alnamara
Based: Dubai
Sector: Microfinance
Current number of staff: 16
Investment stage: Series A
Investors: Family offices
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Industry: FinTech
Funding: Undisclosed
Investors: Elaine Jones
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Stars: Ramy Youssef, Amr Waked, Mohammed Amer
Rating: 4/5
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Best Coach: Gian Piero Gasperini (Atalanta)
Best Referee: Gianluca Rocchi
Best Goal: Fabio Quagliarella (Sampdoria vs Napoli)
Best Team: Atalanta
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Serie B Best Young Player: Sandro Tonali (Brescia)
Best Women’s Goal: Thaisa (Milan vs Juventus)
Best Women’s Player: Manuela Giugliano (Milan)
Best Women’s XI: Laura Giuliani (Milan); Alia Guagni (Fiorentina), Sara Gama (Juventus), Cecilia Salvai (Juventus), Elisa Bartoli (Roma); Aurora Galli (Juventus), Manuela Giugliano (Roma), Valentina Cernoia (Juventus); Valentina Giacinti (Milan), Ilaria Mauro (Fiorentina), Barbara Bonansea (Juventus)
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Dos
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- Always ask for the dress code if you don’t know
- Wear a white kandura, white ghutra / shemagh (headwear) and black shoes for work
- Wear 100 per cent cotton under the kandura as most fabrics are polyester
Don’ts
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Estijaba – 8001717 – number to call to request coronavirus testing
Ministry of Health and Prevention – 80011111
Dubai Health Authority – 800342 – The number to book a free video or voice consultation with a doctor or connect to a local health centre
Emirates airline – 600555555
Etihad Airways – 600555666
Ambulance – 998
Knowledge and Human Development Authority – 8005432 ext. 4 for Covid-19 queries
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Founder: Ivan Kroshnyi
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cons: Flaherty
Pens: Flaherty 2
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Cons: Caldwell 2
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Investment stage: Growth
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- Energy engineer: Dh25,000 to Dh30,000
- Production engineer: Dh30,000 to Dh40,000
- Data-driven supply chain management professional: Dh30,000 to Dh50,000
- HR leader: Dh40,000 to Dh60,000
- Engineering leader: Dh30,000 to Dh55,000
- Project manager: Dh55,000 to Dh65,000
- Senior reservoir engineer: Dh40,000 to Dh55,000
- Senior drilling engineer: Dh38,000 to Dh46,000
- Senior process engineer: Dh28,000 to Dh38,000
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Sector: Healthtech
Number of staff: Three employees
Investment stage: Pre-seed
Investment: $400,000
THE DETAILS
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Starring: Ryan Reynolds, Josh Brolin, Justin Dennison, Zazie Beetz
Four stars
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1: Commit to countering all types of terrorism and extremism in all their manifestations
2: Denounce violence and the rhetoric of hatred
3: Adhere to the full compliance with the Riyadh accord of 2014 and the subsequent meeting and executive procedures approved in 2014 by the GCC
4: Comply with all recommendations of the Summit between the US and Muslim countries held in May 2017 in Saudi Arabia.
5: Refrain from interfering in the internal affairs of countries and of supporting rogue entities.
6: Carry out the responsibility of all the countries with the international community to counter all manifestations of extremism and terrorism that threaten international peace and security
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Publisher: LucasArts
Console: PlayStation 1 & 5, Sega Saturn
Rating: 4/5