Posted on June 29, 2022
Four out of five of the world’s most efficient ports are in the Middle East, according to a global index developed by the World Bank and S&P Global Market Intelligence.
In an index of 370 ports, the region dominated the top five. These included Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah Port (first place), Port Salalah in Oman (second) and Hamad Port in Qatar (third) and the UAE’s Khalifa Port (fifth).
AD Ports-owned Khalifa Port said its flagship deep-water port scored well for use of digital technology and green fuel alternatives in the global Container Port Performance Index (CPPI).
The index ranked ports based on the time vessels need to spend in port to complete workloads in 2021, a year that saw unprecedented port congestion and disruption to global supply chains due to the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.
More than four-fifths of global merchandise trade by volume are carried by sea, and approximately 35 percent of total volumes is shipped in containers, making the ranking an important global economic indicator.
Captain Mohamed Juma Al Shamisi, Managing Director and Group CEO, AD Ports Group, said: “We have recognised the pressure that global supply chains are under and have worked hard to create efficiencies and new synergies in every area.”
Khalifa Port has deployed a leading team of professionals and cutting-edge technology including automatic stacking cranes, aerial drones and an automated terminal operation system.
AD Ports Group has continued to invest in innovative technologies throughout 2022 and now offers more than 160 digitalised services to stakeholders and customers at Khalifa Port, boosting overall efficiency and enabling faster turnaround times.
CSP Abu Dhabi container terminal operating within Khalifa Port is the first terminal in the Middle East to implement an autonomous port truck system, deploying electric Q-Trucks to support mother vessel loading and unloading activities within the facility’s container yard.
The Container Port Performance Index is based on total port hours per ship call, defined as the elapsed time between when a ship reaches a port to its departure from the berth having completed its cargo exchange.
Greater or lesser workloads are accounted for by examining the underlying data within ten different call size ranges. Five distinct ship size groups are accounted for in the methodology given the potential for greater fuel and emissions savings on larger vessels.
