Abu Dhabi has revealed plans for a new port and industrial area that would cost more than Dh8 billion ($2.2 billion).

The Wam news agency said the project, to be called Khalifa Port, would be situated at Taweelah, on the coastline halfway between Abu Dhabi and Dubai.
‘The new port and industrial area are an essential part of the current strategy of speeding the pace of development in the economic, industrial and tourism fields,’ said Abu Dhabi’s Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.
‘The new port will include a container handling terminal and will be capable of handling the largest types of ships.’
The first phase of the project is expected to be ready within the next five years, Wam said.
Sheikh Mohammad underlined the UAE leadership’s keenness to maintain economic growth at a faster pace and to consolidate the country’s industrial base, in a way that will lead to increasing its competitiveness and enhancing its image as a globally recognised hub for investment, business and international trade.
“We are confident that this innovative project will have a lasting effect on the Emirate’s ports and industry sectors and will act as a catalyst for local, regional and international businesses.”
Sheikh Saeed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, chairman of Abu Dhabi Sea Ports Authority, said that the new port will include a container handling terminal and piers for handling raw and bulk cargoes. It will be designed and developed to the highest international standards in an environmentally sustainable manner and will be capable of handling the largest types of ships. The project also entails an industrial estate along with ancillary and supporting commercial and residential developments.
 “This major development will serve the economy of Abu Dhabi and the UAE for decades to come and aims at relocating Mina Zayed from the island of Abu Dhabi where it operates in a congested environment to a new location where it can capitalise on the existing power generation and desalination cluster and the natural gas network including better access to the deeper water of the Gulf and proximity to major highways,” he said in a Gulf News report.
The industrial zone which is being developed through public-private partnerships will play a major role in the generation of the traffic for the new port and will host major basic industries, some of which will be announced in the near future, whilst providing opportunities for investment and creating sustainable employment opportunities for nationals, it said.