AD Ports Group was ranked the world’s 19th largest container port operator
AD Ports Group has climbed for the first time into the global top 20 ranks of world port operators in a new industry survey.
The insertion of AD Ports Group at 19th place globally by Drewry, a UK firm that tracks the container ports sector, reflects the growing industry relevance of AD Ports Group’s ports business, which has expanded rapidly following a series of new operating concessions and the 2023 acquisition of Noatum, which operates 16 terminals in Spain, according to a press release.
AD Ports Group currently has 33 terminals in eight countries, including the UAE, Spain and Pakistan, and 27 are operational, with new terminals scheduled to come online in the UAE and under concession agreements in Republic of Congo, Egypt and Angola.
Driving growth
Also driving Ports Cluster growth were contributions from the Group’s management of four berths on the East Wharf of Karachi Port, Pakistan’s most important port, which started last year under a 50-year concession agreement with Karachi Gateway Terminal Limited (KGTL).
AD Ports is leveraging multipurpose terminals as opportunities to develop new markets, with the geographic focus primarily in the Indian Subcontinent, Red Sea, Mediterranean, South Asia and Africa.
In 2023 and H1-2024, AD Ports Group signed agreements to develop and operate multipurpose terminals in Safaga (Egypt), Pointe Noire (Republic of Congo) and Luanda (Angola). Preliminary agreements have been signed to develop multipurpose terminals at East Port Said and Sokhna in Egypt, and Chittagong in Bangladesh.
Tanzania JV
In June 2024, the East Africa Gateway Limited, a joint venture led by AD Ports Group and Adani, acquired a 95% stake in Tanzania International Container Terminal Services (TICTS) at Dar es Salaam ports, Tanzania.
“The inclusion of AD Ports Group in the Drewry Top 20 League Table of container port operators confirms the growing international significance of our Group, as we pursue our value-driven expansion in trade, maritime, logistics and industrial development,’’ stated Captain Mohamed Juma Al Shamisi, Managing Director and Group CEO, AD Ports Group.
“The new Drewry global ports operator ranking is an acknowledgement of the growing clout of AD Ports Group on a global stage,” remarked Saif Al Mazrouei, Ports Cluster CEO, AD Ports Group.
