Mina Zayed hands over containers to Khalifa

The new port only began commercial operations this September, since when 24 shipping lines have moved their local container businesses to Khalifa Port at Taweelah, 60 km east of the city centre.

The last container vessel to call at Mina Zayed at the end of last week was the ‘Jolly Arancione voy 290’, operated the Italian Messina Line, the first shipping line to call at the port and appropriately becoming the last. Since its first call in 1995, the line has handled more than 600,000 teu at the facility.

Mina Zayed started operations just six months before the establishment of the UAE. It will continue to serve cruise passengers, dry bulk and break bulk cargo, including large materials for infrastructure projects, and roll-on/roll-off cargo to the local market. Last year (2011) the city-centre facility handled around 770,000 teu.