Abu Dhabi Ports has announced that it signed nine standard musataha agreements (SMAs) in the first quarter of 2015, increasing the number of Kizad investors by 15% in just three months, the company said in its press release.
The close proximity of Khalifa Port and its transport infrastructure were key deciding points for all of the investor companies. Khalifa Port and Kizad are intrinsically linked, offering supply chain efficiencies that will add significant value to these latest business operations.
Four of the companies have already announced their commitment to invest in the industrial zone, these include National Catering Company (catering supplies), Gulf Precast (construction materials), Safe Care Medical (medical supplies) and most recently Advanced Manufacturing Solutions (automotive spare parts brake pads and discs).
A further five companies have now signed SMAs with Abu Dhabi Ports, including; HCG, Afaq Al Khaleej, Schmidt Logistics, Naseem Al Bawadi and Tmdeed. All of these companies have international business links and are – in different ways - logistics focused.
Combined the nine new investors represent an investment worth more than US$ 232 million(AED 853 million) and their new plots cover a land area of over 422,000 square meters.
Capt. Mohamed Juma Al Shamisi, CEO, Abu Dhabi Ports comments; “We are now observing a cumulative effect across the Khalifa Port trade and industrial zone - Kizad, as more companies become operational and more are attracted to the zone, because of its superb location, transport links, world class infrastructure and competitive operating costs.
“The first quarter of this year has been an exceptional one. I welcome these new investors and congratulate them on choosing an ideal location to build their business operations. The many advantages offered by such close proximity to Khalifa Port and the industrial zones outstanding services and infrastructure will help each company to achieve its business goals.”
To date, 71 national and international investors have chosen Kizad as their production or logistics base. Ten of these will have completed construction and will be fully operational by the end of this year. Abu Dhabi Ports has now leased a total of 11 million square metres of land in the trade and logistics zone, which represents a total investment of more than USD13 billion (AED 47,75 billion).
Once these investors are fully operational, Khalifa Port’s throughput is expected to increase by 900,000 tonnes of general cargo and containers annually.