Khalifa Port is Abu Dhabi's principal commercial port, on the coast at Taweelah between Abu Dhabi city and Dubai. It opened in 2012 and replaced the older Zayed Port as the emirate's main container and general cargo facility, operating as a deep-water port able to take the largest vessels.
Facilities and trade
The port has container, general cargo, bulk and roll-on roll-off facilities, and it handles a wide range of imports and exports including aluminium, petrochemicals, steel, vehicles and consumer goods. It is linked to the wider emirate by road and, increasingly, by rail as the Etihad Rail network is extended.
The industrial zone
Khalifa Port is paired with the Khalifa Industrial Zone Abu Dhabi, a large industrial and logistics development immediately inland that hosts manufacturing, processing and distribution firms and offers free-zone arrangements. The combination follows the port-plus-free-zone model pioneered at Jebel Ali, and the zone includes major plants in aluminium, steel, food processing and chemicals.
Context
The port is part of Abu Dhabi's effort to diversify its economy beyond hydrocarbons and to establish itself as a manufacturing and logistics centre to complement Dubai's trading role. Together with Zayed Port, which now handles cruise traffic and some cargo, it serves the emirate's trade.