Ro-ro volumes grew 19% at Khalifa Port Container Terminal (KPCT), Abu Dhabi, in 2014, as the emirate transferred all ro-ro cargo to the facility.
Owner Abu Dhabi Ports Co. handled an all-time high of 106,071 vehicle units last year.
KPCT’s current annual capacity is 360,000 vehicles, three times that available at the old facility at Zayed Port, and it plans accommodate over 500,000 units per year in future. KPCT is able to handle up to four of the largest ro-ro vessels at a time, double the number that Zayed Port could import.
“At KPCT, we are now able to offer a consolidated full-service ro-ro hub supported by the adjacent Khalifa Industrial Zone Abu Dhabi (Kizad), said Mohamed Al Shamisi, ceo, Abu Dhabi Ports Co.
The availability of land at Kizad, situated halfway between Abu Dhabi and Dubai at Taweelah, is likely to spur the creation of several new automotive dealerships to serve the car-hungry UAE market, as well as covered storage facilities for importers.
In addition to RoRo transhipment for the rest of the GCC, KPCT is also studying the expansion of its market share into Africa and the Indian Sub-continent.
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