UAE terminal operator Gulftainer is expanding Khorfakkan Commercial Terminal from 3.5m TEU to 5m TEU, with a longer-term target of more than 10m TEU, according to the Sharjah Ports, Customs and Free Zones Authority.
The expansion would more than double the terminal’s current stated capacity as Sharjah develops Khorfakkan’s role as an east coast gateway on the Gulf of Oman.
The plan was set out on 16 August in From Khorfakkan, Opportunities Begin, which outlined links between the port, international shipping routes and Sharjah’s wider logistics network.
Khorfakkan has deep-water berths and ship-to-shore cranes capable of handling the largest classes of containerships. Its location on the UAE’s east coast gives vessels access to the Gulf of Oman without entering the Strait of Hormuz.
The project forms part of Gulftainer’s $2bn global trade infrastructure strategy. The programme also includes Al Dhaid Logistics Park and Sajaa Logistics Park, which are planned to provide combined annual logistics capacity of 2.3m TEU.
Gulftainer also plans to connect Khorfakkan with the Etihad Rail network, linking maritime, road and rail transport.
Khorfakkan Commercial Terminal has six berths, 1,880 metres of quay, 18 quay cranes and a 450,000-square-metre container yard.
Gulftainer was established in Sharjah in 1976 and is a subsidiary of UAE-headquartered diversified business group Crescent Enterprises. It operates Khorfakkan Commercial Terminal under a concession with the Sharjah Ports, Customs and Free Zones Authority.