Abu Dhabi Ports officially inaugurated Delma Port last week. Located on the eastern side of Delma Island, the new port will serve as an upgraded multipurpose port capable of handling cargo, passenger ferries, and fishing vessels.

Abu Dhabi Ports worked closely with its strategic partners, Abu Dhabi Urban Planning Council, the Department of Municipal Affairs and Transport, the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC), and several other government entities, to execute its master plan for Delma.

The Abu Dhabi Plan calls for an effective transportation system to serve the community and economy, with an emphasis on the development of sustainable sea transportation, noted Staff Major General Pilot Faris Khalaf Khalfan Al Mazrouei.

“This forms part of the Abu Dhabi Plan to diversify the economy by upgrading sea links on Delma Island and in the UAE, resulting in multiple commercial benefits,” said Thani Ahmed Al Zeyoudi, Minister of Climate Change and Environment for the United Arab Emirates. “The new port will also play a role in attracting tourists from around the world to experience the Delma Wildlife Reserve and traditional boats, which are still, to this date, used by fisherman, in addition to the island’s scenic mountain views.”

Al Zeyoudi concluded by praising the ambitious efforts in positioning Abu Dhabi as a global hub in the maritime, logistics, and investment sectors on local, regional and international levels.

“The port has been carefully designed as an integrated ecosystem that creates space for vessels and also offers the support services needed to facilitate sustainable transport,” said Captain Mohamed Juma Al Shamisi, CEO of Abu Dhabi Ports. “We are thrilled to announce that the Delma Port project was delivered in record time, anchoring Abu Dhabi Ports’ position as a leading developer of ports.”

Developed with a budget of $46 million, the new Delma Port covers a total area of 69 acres. Buildings and facilities such as an administration building, fish market, restaurant, public building, sheltered storage area for fishing equipment, ADNOC Marine fuelling facility, ferry terminal building and CICPA inspection facility are all included at the new Delma Port.

A repair yard, CICPA inspection facility, ADNOC Marine Fuelling Facility, fishermen’s building, marina workshop, multipurpose operations building and a restaurant complete the Port’s revamped ecosystem.

Al Shamisi added that Abu Dhabi Ports relied on world-class benchmarks and quality standards while developing the port, which required intricate logistics and quality control procedures to deliver high quality components on time.