02 May 2015
Fourteen outstanding customers win awards

Abu Dhabi, UAE:  Abu Dhabi Ports, the developer, operator and regulator of ports in the emirate of Abu Dhabi held its inaugural Abu Dhabi Ports Customer Awards. 

The event celebrated the achievements of the last year which saw record cargo volumes handled in all sectors.  The winning customers were applauded for their business growth, for their professional best practice and their contribution to the Emirates growing regional and global trade volumes.

The inaugural awards recognized the top performing customers in each cargo category for both import and export.  Likewise the top cruise line, the best shipping agency, the top container line, RORO carrier, break bulk and dry bulk shipping line customers were thanked and recognized for their very significant contribution to the Emirates growing import and export trade.

Capt. Mohamed Juma Al Shamisi, CEO Abu Dhabi Ports led the proceedings, thanking customers for their business activities, which combined and supported by Abu Dhabi Ports, are helping to realise the economic vision laid out by the Emirate's leadership. 

Capt. Mohamed Juma Al Shamisi, commented: "In 2012 Sheikh Khalifa officially inaugurated the new Khalifa Port.  Just two years later, the port and its interlinked industrial zone Kizad, is contributing significantly to the overall prosperity of the emirate.

"Abu Dhabi Ports' inaugural customer awards offered a valuable opportunity to celebrate and congratulate our customers on their growing business profitability. We also thank our stakeholders for their trust, guidance and support and we express our gratitude to all of our employees without whom our business growth and achievements would not be possible."

The award winners included Costa Cruises which won the Cruise Line of the Year award.  The shipping line with the highest volume growth in 2014 was the multi-modal transport company Mitsui OSK Lines. 

The most prestigious award of the evening was the Customer of the Year award, this year given to Emirates Global Aluminium (EGA).   The company is the anchor tenant in the aluminium cluster in the Khalifa industrial zone and has its own dedicated berth at Khalifa Port for dry bulk imports. 

Capt. Mohamed Juma Al Shamisi added: "We are pleased to honour EGA as our customer of the year. The company's operations drive development in the aluminium cluster, clearly demonstrating the supply chain efficiencies envisaged in the design and concept of Khalifa Port and its interlinked trade and industrial zone."

EGA's site is groundbreaking in that it accommodates one of the world's largest single site aluminium smelter, and last year Abu Dhabi Ports signed a ten year agreement to handle all of EGA's global export trade.

The other winners of the inaugural Abu Dhabi Ports Customer Awards 2014 included Sharaf Shipping Agency, which was awarded Shipping Agency of the year.  The feeder operator of the year is Xpress Feeders and the container line of the year is MSC (Mediterranean Shipping Company).  The RORO carrier of the year is NYK Line and Emirates Steel won two awards for both its import and export business.

The Abu Dhabi Ports 'Importers of the Year' winners included; for containers - Al Dahra, for break bulk - Al Ghurair Iron & Steel, for dry bulk - Emirates Steel and for RORO - Al Futtaim Motors.

The Abu Dhabi Ports 'Exporters of the Year' included, for containers - Borouge in recognition of its strategic alignment with Abu Dhabi Ports and the company's expanding business using both Khalifa Port and the Kizad trade and industrial zone, for break bulk - Emirates Steel - the company's second award win of the night, and lastly for dry bulk - Star Cement. 

Abu Dhabi Ports core objective is to facilitate trade and development across the region, thereby driving the diversification of the economy and supporting the objectives of the Abu Dhabi Economic Vision.

About Abu Dhabi Ports
Established in 2006, Abu Dhabi Ports' core objective is to facilitate the diversification of the economy by stimulating trade and development. This is done by delivering high quality maritime services, supporting partners' infrastructure projects and setting up new companies and joint ventures in the ports and logistics sectors.

The flagship state-of-the -art Khalifa Port and Khalifa Industrial Zone play a big role, supporting the diversification of the economy.  Khalifa Port was inaugurated on 12/12/12 by UAE President HH Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan. The port's semi-automated container terminal handles all of Abu Dhabi's container traffic, after its transfer from Zayed Port, the historic port in the city centre.

Phase One of Khalifa Port has a capacity of 2.5 million TEUs and 12 million tons of general cargo. Further phases of development will occur as market demand requires. When all phases are complete, Khalifa Port will be able to handle 15 million TEUs and 35 million tons of general cargo per year.

Abu Dhabi Ports manages nine commercial, logistics, community and leisure ports, and Khalifa Industrial Zone which is serving a range of logistics and manufacturing investors. Abu Dhabi Ports is boosting Abu Dhabi's economic growth and diversification, following Abu Dhabi's Economic Vision 2030.

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© Press Release 2015