AD Ports expands portfolio to 36 ports, terminals

AD Ports Group has expanded its international portfolio to 36 ports and terminals following the addition of Jordan’s Aqaba Multipurpose Port, a senior executive said.

Ahmed Al Mutawa, Regional Chief Executive Officer of AD Ports Group, told the Emirates News Agency (WAM) that the group’s operations now span the Middle East, Central Asia, Africa, and Europe, including the UAE, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Pakistan, Spain, Egypt, Tanzania, Angola, Cameroon, and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

The 30-year concession agreement signed with the Aqaba Development Corporation (ADC) to manage and operate the multipurpose port represents a strategic milestone and the group’s largest infrastructure investment in Jordan to date.

Under the agreement, AD Ports Group will hold 70 per cent ownership while ADC will hold the remaining 30 per cent. AD Ports Group will invest a total of Dhs141 million ($38.4 million) in the Joint Venture.

Total investments over the 30-year concession period are expected to reach around Dhs670 million, with projected cumulative revenues exceeding Dhs1.5 billion, Al Mutawa said. The Group anticipates to formally assume operations of the port in August of this year.

The Port of Aqaba is situated at the crossroads of three continents and is Jordan’s dominant gateway for foreign trade, handling about 80 percent of the country’s exports and 65 percent of its imports.

The Aqaba Multipurpose Port handles a diverse range of cargo, including general cargo, grains, livestock, Ro-Ro, and project cargo. The port has an annual handling capacity of 11 million tonnes, supported by nine berths, a quay length of 2 km, and a draft of 13.5 metres. In 2025, the terminal handled over 5.3 million tonnes of cargo and nearly 85,000 car equivalent units (CEUs) of Ro-Ro imports.

WAM