A key multi-purpose terminal for east-west trade

UAE

Mohamed Al Yahyaei, CEO of Fujairah Terminals, talks to The Energy Year about the growing importance of Fujairah in global trade flows and the investments being made in port infrastructure to support economic activity in the UAE and the region. Wholly owned by AD Ports Group, Fujairah Terminals manages all container, general cargo, ro-ro and cruise traffic at the Port of Fujairah.

What is the role that Fujairah Terminals play in the UAE’s economic policy?
Positioning Fujairah as a strategic gateway to the UAE is part of the vision of H.H. Sheikh Hamad bin Mohammed Al Sharqi, Ruler of Fujairah. Fujairah Terminals plays a very important role in ensuring economic growth and business continuity as a key multi-purpose terminal that supports the development goals of the country. The terminal handles project cargo, commodities and containers to assist key projects in the UAE.
We started construction in 2018 and inaugurated the terminal on schedule in 2021. As the only multi-purpose facility on the eastern seaboard, Fujairah Terminals is a key link for east-west trade routes.

How does your infrastructure contribute to driving economic growth in Fujairah?
Our multi-commodity, multi-operation terminal has state-of-the-art equipment that can serve vessels of capacity up to 9,000 teu, with expansions planned for vessels up to 13,000 teu. The depth across the quay is 15 meters, and we have a storage area of 380,000 square meters.
Having such assets has enabled us to handle one of the most important projects in Fujairah, which is the Fujairah F3 power plant being developed by TAQA and Mubadala Investment Company. We successfully handled three of the largest gas turbines to ever have been deployed in the UAE.
We also manage a cruise terminal, which is an important added value for the tourism industry of Fujairah, and rail connectivity to our terminal is poised to play a significant role in driving economic growth and boosting the local economy. It will attract businesses and investments to the region, in addition to reducing the region’s reliance on road transport, which will decrease congestion and environmental pollution and promote sustainable development.

How does the terminal fit within the UAE’s infrastructure development plans?
The strategic value we provide to the UAE is ensuring business continuity. Etihad Rail connects Fujairah Terminals and the Port of Fujairah to Abu Dhabi, and the rail link continues to the border with Saudi Arabia. There has been a very significant emphasis on ensuring the connectivity and integration of the entire country to add efficiency and resilience to the UAE economy.

Are you planning investments to increase cargo handling capacity?
Our mandate is to keep investing in upgrades and revisiting the terminal’s capacity figures so that we can absorb any potential demand peaks. We can handle 720,000 teu and 1.3 million tonnes of general cargo, but we need to think big and serve the entire UAE, not just Fujairah. Rail connectivity will play an important role in achieving this strategy.

How do you plan to attract trade flows from East Africa and the Indian subcontinent to the Middle East?
Fujairah Terminals aims to be a regional and global player that interconnects businesses across the world. Thanks to AD Ports’ expansion in Pakistan in 2023 and 2024, we can start thinking of integrating routes between the Indian subcontinent and the Middle East.
Fujairah can help businesses reach the Middle East through the UAE and then proceed to Saudi Arabia or Jordan and on to Europe. With its advantageous location, Fujairah has the potential to connect the world.

Where do you see Fujairah and Fujairah Terminals 10 years from now?
Fujairah is well-known and increasing its importance as a bunkering and trading hub for the world. Activity from oil traders is pushing up investment figures in the emirate, and all the expansion plans we are seeing will require logistics handling capabilities. Fujairah has a golden future as an oil trading hub, and Fujairah Terminals will always be there to assist the growth of the industry. We are very eager to build the legacy of Fujairah.

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