Khalifa News

Windward is publishing daily intelligence reports on the crisis in the Gulf as the situation develops.The highlights of today's report are as follows:    Operation Epic Fury triggered immediate disruption across maritime chokepoints in the Gulf.Commercial tanker traffic through the Strait of Hormuz collapsed as strikes, threats, and insurance withdrawal drove operators out of the corridor.At least eight commercial vessels have been struck since the start of the conflict across the Gulf…

Windward is publishing daily intelligence reports on the crisis in the Gulf as the situation develops.The highlights of today's report are as follows:    The Strait of Hormuz remained effectively closed, with only five vessel crossings recorded on March 4.Bab el-Mandeb traffic surged to 23 crossings, sitting above recent averages.Suez Canal activity dropped to 23 crossings, falling below trend levels.Cape of Good Hope diversions remained elevated, confirming continued rerouting of global trade.A crude tanker explosion near Kuwait damaged a cargo tanker and triggered an oil spill…

The Arab Shipbuilding and Repair Yard Company (ASRY) has brought its annual summer internship program to a close for a group of university students from across the Kingdom. The occasion was marked during a ceremony held at the company's headquarters in Hidd, attended by the Vice-President for Corporate Support, Shaikh Duaij bin Mohammed Al Khalifa.The program lasted for two months, during which a number of trainees underwent a set of integrated training activities carefully prepared by the relevant departments at the company to suit the students' academic specializations…

Arab Shipbuilding and Repair Yard Company (ASRY) unveiled an innovative solar energy project that it says embodies the vision of His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa to build a future based on sustainability and innovation.The ASRY solar energy project is touted as the largest of its kind in the world in the ship repair and shipbuilding sector, in partnership with Kanoo CleanMax Renewables.The total capacity of the solar power plant is 22.5MW in the first phase, plus 22MW in the second.

ADNOC Logistics & Services Plc (ADNOC L&S) has signed a 15-year strategic partnership agreement with Borouge, worth $531 million, to manage shipping and port logistics for the company’s expanding petrochemical exports.The agreement positions ADNOC L&S as the primary logistics provider for up to 70% of Borouge’s annual production, covering container handling, port operations, and feeder shipping services from Al Ruwais Industrial City to the deepwater ports of Jebel Ali and Khalifa Port.As part of the deal…

AD Ports Group, a global enabler of trade, transport, industry, and logistics, recently hosted its first ship-to-ship (STS) liquified natural gas (LNG) bunkering operation at its flagship deep-water Khalifa Port.The STS bunkering was part of a simultaneous operation, in which the container vessel MSC Thais, berthed at Abu Dhabi Terminals, received LNG fuel from the dedicated LNG bunker vessel Green Zeebrugge, supplied by marine fuels provider Monjasa. The operation demonstrated the concurrent transfer of LNG and cargo…

Abu Dhabi-based AD Ports Group has inaugurated a new, custom-bound inland dry port facility, enhancing the connectivity of Khalifa Port.Al Faya Dry Port, strategically located between Abu Dhabi and Dubai, will act as an Inland Container Depot (ICD) linked overland to Khalifa Port, offering a transit terminal for trucks and thus improving speed to market and more cost-efficient cargo handling operations for Dubai and the Northern Emirates.Al Faya Dry Port will serve CMA CGM as…

AquaChemie Global Chemicals has inaugurated its state-of-the-art chemical manufacturing, storage, and blending facility in Khalifa Economic Zones Abu Dhabi (KEZAD), marking a significant step in enhancing local industrial capabilities and supporting the UAE’s "Make it in the Emirates" initiative.The $24.5m, 25,800 sqm facility in KEZAD Al Ma’mourah is designed to meet global safety and environmental standards, producing a wide range of liquid and solid industrial chemicals primarily for ADNOC and other key clients.

The RSD-E Tug 2513, which Damen delivered to SAFEEN Group earlier in 2024, has won a Guinness World Records title for the most powerful electric tugboat.The record was set by measuring the bollard pull of Damen RSD-E Tug 2513 Bu Tinah. With an average high peak pull of 78.2 tonnes, the vessel demonstrated performance unprecedented for a fully electric tug.The vessel was delivered by Damen to SAFEEN Group, part of AD Ports Group’s Maritime & Shipping Cluster, becoming the first fully electric tug to operate in the Middle East.The record-breaking performance took place at Khalifa Port…

Damen Shipyards and SAFEEN Group, part of AD Ports Group, have signed an agreement for the lease and purchase of an all-electric Damen RSD-E Tug 2513.The RSD-E Tug 2513 will be the first fully electric tug to operate in the Middle East, according to Damen.The tug, which is 25 metres in length with bollard pull of 70 tonnes, is capable of manoeuvring even the largest vessels and can undertake two or more assignments before being recharged, which takes two hours.Following the successful launch of the class in August 2022 in the Port of Auckland…

The Indian Navy on Friday rescued the crew of a merchant vessel after its attempted hijack in the Arabian Sea and said it had not found any pirates on board.An Indian Navy warship intercepted the Liberian-flagged MV Lila Norfolk bulk carrier less than a day after it had received a report that the vessel had been hijacked about 460 nautical miles off Somalia.About five to six armed people boarded the vessel on Thursday, according to a report received by the UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) agency…

British maritime security firm Ambrey said on Thursday that a Liberia-flagged bulk carrier had reportedly been boarded by armed individuals 458 meters southeast of Eyl, Somalia.The vessel was destined for Khalifa bin Salman in Bahrain, according to Ambrey's statement.(Reuters - Reporting by Clauda Tanios and Enas Alashray; Writing by Tala Ramadan; Editing by Jan Harvey)

AD Ports Group and Premier Marine Engineering Services LLC formed a new joint venture, SAFEEN Drydocks, owned 51% by AD Ports Group, 49% by Premier Marine.The new enterprise will offer a broad range of vital services including drydocking, afloat repairs, ship building and refurbishment. The hub of SAFEEN Drydocks’ operations will be located at Khalifa Port and encompass a 45,000 sq. m. shipyard and repair facility, 350m quay wall for vessel afloat repair, and a floating dry dock for vessel maintenance and refurbishment.

Abu Dhabi-based AD Ports Group has signed a 25 years agreement with Singapore-based Crystal Offshore a logistics solution provider to the marine & offshore Industry to build an offshore rig and vessel repair base in Abu Dhabi's Khalifa Port.Under the agreement, a 20,000 square meter plot of land and an associated quay wall in Abu Dhabi's Khalifa Port will be allocated for Crystal Offshore to construct a base, featuring office facilities and fabrication workshops to provide advanced repairs and refits to jack-up rigs as well as marine and offshore vessels.Saif Al Mazrouei…

Climate change, rising sea levels, land reclamation and offshore energy are all factors underpinning business models at Europe’s dredge and marine engineering majors. They are adopting strong sustainability credentials as their operations come under closer environmental, social, governance (ESG) scrutiny and new opportunities open up in the US offshore wind sectorThe relatively small number of global marine engineering and dredge firms face more observation of their business models than ever before.

Libyan oil output will resume from all shuttered fields and ports, the Tripoli government's newly installed head of National Oil Corporation (NOC) said on Friday after meeting groups that have blockaded the facilities for months.The decision to lift force majeure on production could mean a return of 850,000 barrels per day (BPD) of oil to the market that has been shut off by the groups aligned with eastern commander Khalifa Haftar.Prime Minister Abdulhamid al-Dbeibah of the Government…

The head of Libya's National Oil Corp (NOC) on Wednesday rejected the prime minister's authority to sack him, raising the prospect of an open struggle for control of the state energy producer.In a furious televised speech, Mustafa Sanalla said Prime Minister Abdulhamid al-Dbeibah's mandate to govern had expired and warned him not to touch NOC.An armed force deployed outside the NOC building later in the day, three witnesses said. One of them said the force was aligned with Dbeibah.

Container feeder operator SAFEEN Feeders, part of the AD Ports Group, announced it has acquired a containership that will join its feeder service fleet in the Arabian Gulf.SAFEEN Pearl, formerly called Vega Virgo, will be deployed in its UAE Coastal Service (UCO) providing connection to UAE ports, including the Group’s flagship Khalifa Port, and the coastal ports of Ajman, Umm Al Quwain, Ras Al Khaimah, Sharjah and Fujairah.Captain Maktoum Al Houqani, Chief Corporate Authority Officer and Acting Head of Maritime Cluster - AD Ports Group…

Qatar Petroleum has signed a long-term LNG sales deal with China's CNOOC Gas and Power Trading & Marketing Limited, a subsidiary of China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC).QP will supply of 3.5 million tons per annum (MTPA) of LNG to CNOOC over a 15-year period starting January 2022.The SPA was signed during a virtual ceremony by Saad Sherida Al-Kaabi, the Minister of State for Energy Affairs, the President and CEO of Qatar Petroleum, and Wang Dongjin, the Chairman of CNOOC.Al-Kaabi said…

Loading operations at the Libyan oil terminals of Es Sider and Ras Lanuf resumed on Friday after a stoppage, National Oil Corporation and two engineers at the ports said.Exports were still halted at a third terminal, Hariga, where people have blocked loading operations, an engineer there said.Libyan oil output has been over 1.3 million barrels per day for much of 2021 but insecurity, political divisions and budget disputes threaten to undermine production or stop exports at various fields or ports.Last year, eastern-based forces in the civil war blockaded almost all exports for months, ending with negotiations that came in the context of a wider push towards peace.Earlier this year…

State-backed holding company ADQ said on Tuesday it plans to list Abu Dhabi Ports Co on the Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange (ADX) before the end of the year.The proposed listing of a portion of existing shares is expected before the end of 2021, it said in a statement, subject to market conditions and obtaining regulatory approval.Established in 2006, Abu Dhabi Ports has 11 ports and terminals, and more than 550 square km ($334 miles) of industrial zones within Khalifa Industrial Zone Abu Dhabi (KIZAD) and Higher Corporation for Specialized Economic Zones.For the year ended December 31, 2020, Ab

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi inaugurated a large naval base on Saturday 135 km from the border with Libya, flanked by close ally Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahyan and Libya's unity president,Egypt says the July 3 base will help it protect strategic and economic interests as well as helping guard against irregular migration as it boosts its naval presence on the Mediterranean and the Red Sea.At the inauguration, two Mistral helicopter carriers…

The Arab Shipbuilding and Repair Yard Company (ASRY) aims to streamline business processes and boost transparency with Infor CloudSuite Industrial Enterprise on Amazon Web Services (AWS) cloud.His Excellency Shaikh Mohammed bin Khalifa AlKhalifa, the Minister of Oil, welcomed a number of representatives of the executive management of  ASRY and Infor at the National Oil and Gas Authority (NOGA) headquarters, prior to the official ceremony of contract signing between the two parties where…