Abu Dhabi Ports, part of ADQ, one of the region’s largest holding companies, has signed an agreement with Transportr Ltd to manage its inland container depot (ICD) in Musaffah, provide handling facilities within the ICD and deliver fully inclusive transportation solutions for containers between the ICD and Khalifa Port.

The agreement will not only improve connectivity between Transportr’s depot located within Ittihad Paper Mill LLC and Khalifa Port, but will also aid in reducing costs for transport of containers, while simultaneously improving the efficiency of the supply chain.  Transportr had already secured the movement of over 15,000 TEUS for 2021 from several prominent industrialists located in ICAD 1, 2 and 3, and is expected to increase the handling to over 20,000 TEUs over the course of next year.

Saif Al Mazrouei, Head of Ports Cluster at Abu Dhabi Ports, said: “We are proud to have been selected by Transportr to handle the transportation of their goods between Khalifa Port and their inland container depot in Mussafah.

“Leveraging our expertise in delivering top of the line logistics services, as well as our long-standing experience as a facilitator of trade within the emirate of Abu Dhabi, we will aid Transportr in reducing costs and streamlining their operations.

“Connectivity for the entire Musaffah trade will also be improved through reduced waiting times, increased availability and integration with shipping lines.”

Alaa Hawari, General Manager of Transportr, said: “We’re tremendously excited to work closely with Abu Dhabi Ports, the region’s primary facilitator of industrial logistics.

“The ICD establishment at the heart of Mussafah will be instrumental as we target significant strengthening of our digital freight marketplace operations and infrastructure, in addition, to collectively address the challenge of empty miles within the industry.

“Transportr’s unique ICD logistics model along with its efficient digital freight network will provide customers with access to a new fully integrated logistics model for servicing diverse range of cargo.”

Under the new contract, Abu Dhabi Ports will bring forth its full logistic capabilities to oversee inward and outward container handling at Khalifa Port, delivery of orders, processing customs documentation and procedures, container terminal handling, truck loading and unloading, as well as container inspections.

At the same time, the company will provide ICD-related container handling services as part of the contract offering shipping lines, local importers, and or exporters the ability to collect and offload containers within the ICD.

In addition to assisting Transportr, one of the fastest-growing digital freight platform in the UAE, in achieving greater economies of scale through reduced transportation costs — thanks to the utilisation of mixed-sized containers to and from its Mussafah-based ICD — the operation is expected to improve supply between the companies under the group’s umbrella via an ongoing shuttle service.