AD Ports Group Achieves Global Top 20 Status Among Container Port Operators

AD Ports Group has made its debut in the global top 20 ranks of world port operators, as per a new industry survey by Drewry. The UK-based firm, which monitors the container ports sector, placed AD Ports Group at 19th globally. This ranking highlights the growing significance of AD Ports Group’s ports business, which has expanded rapidly through new operating concessions and the acquisition of Noatum in 2023.

The acquisition of Noatum added 16 terminals in Spain to AD Ports Group's portfolio. Currently, AD Ports Group operates 33 terminals across eight countries, including the UAE, Spain, and Pakistan. Of these, 27 are operational, with new terminals set to launch in the UAE and under concession agreements in the Republic of Congo, Egypt, and Angola.

In 2023, AD Ports Group reported a container throughput of 4.91 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs), marking a 13 percent increase from the previous year. The total volume handled at its UAE terminals rose by 6 percent to 4.6 million TEUs. This growth included six months of contributions from Noatum after its integration into the Group.

The Ports Cluster saw significant growth this year. In Q2 2024, revenue for the Ports Cluster increased by 83 percent year-on-year to AED563 million. This growth was driven by contributions from managing four berths on Karachi Port's East Wharf under a 50-year concession agreement with Karachi Gateway Terminal Limited (KGTL).

AD Ports Group is leveraging multipurpose terminals to explore new markets, focusing on regions such as the Indian Subcontinent, Red Sea, Mediterranean, South Asia, and Africa. Agreements were signed in 2023 and H1 2024 to develop and operate multipurpose terminals in Safaga (Egypt), Pointe Noire (Republic of Congo), and Luanda (Angola). Preliminary agreements have also been signed for East Port Said and Sokhna in Egypt and Chittagong in Bangladesh.

Strategic Investments

In June 2024, East Africa Gateway Limited—a joint venture led by AD Ports Group and Adani—acquired a 95 percent stake in Tanzania International Container Terminal Services (TICTS). TICTS operates berths 8-11 at Dar es Salaam ports in Tanzania. These developments aim to increase AD Ports Group’s terminal capacity by over 60 percent to reach 14.5 million TEUs within five years.

Captain Mohamed Juma Al Shamisi, Managing Director and Group CEO of AD Ports Group stated: "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."

Global Presence

Saif Al Mazrouei, CEO of Ports Cluster at AD Ports Group added: "The new Drewry global ports operator ranking acknowledges the growing clout of AD Ports Group on a global stage." He highlighted that adding Noatum’s terminals in Spain and new concessions will enable leveraging synergies from an expanding global footprint.

AD Ports continues to seek investment opportunities outside the UAE. The acquisition of Noatum brought four Spanish terminals into its portfolio. Following this acquisition, AD Ports also purchased Spain’s Terminal Polivalente Castellon from APMT for €10 million.

Drewry also included AD Ports Group stock in its Port Equity Index—a weighted benchmark stock index comprising shares from ten large publicly traded port operators. Active across more than 50 countries spanning the Middle East, Northern Africa, Indian Subcontinent, Central and Southeast Asia, and Europe—AD Ports is a diversified group contributing significantly to non-oil economic growth in the UAE.

Logistics Transformation

The purchase of Noatum positively impacted not only the Ports Cluster but also transformed AD Ports' Logistics business. Rebranded as Noatum Logistics worldwide post-acquisition—the Logistics Cluster saw its revenue more than triple to AED1.94 billion in 2023 from AED532 million in 2022.

In H1 2024 alone—the Logistics Cluster generated AED2.2 billion—accounting for 26 percent of overall group revenue—making it second only to Maritime & Shipping Cluster contributions.

These strategic expansions underscore AD Ports' commitment to maintaining leadership roles across core businesses while pursuing profitable international growth guided by wise leadership principles.

With inputs from WAM