July 30 - Abu Dhabi Ports Company has awarded of an AED 1.03 billion contract to a joint venture between ED Zublin AG and Al Jaber Transport & General Contracting for its flagship Khalifa Port & Industrial Zone (KPIZ) project.

The agreement is for the detailed design, construction, fit-out, testing and commissioning of the offshore port's civil and structural building works, which will provide the infrastructure necessary to support the commencement of port operations in 2012. Work is due to begin immediately and is scheduled for completion in August 2012.

Highlights of the contract include the construction of 23 buildings and associated structures, including the Terminal Operations Building - a six storey construction which will become the port's centre of operations, over 1000 m of quay wall and associated marine fenders and bollards, a 5.4 km dual carriageway linking the offshore port to the mainland with associated service roads, street lighting and two helipads.

Located midway between Abu Dhabi and Dubai in the Taweelah industrial district, KPIZ will commence operations in 2012 and over the long term to 2030 will comprise 420 sq km of prime industrial land organized into vertically integrated clusters for aluminium, petrochemicals, glass, paper and other major sectors. It will consist of a new multi-purpose offshore port and one of the largest integrated industrial zones in the world.

KPIZ is a feature of the Abu Dhabi Vision 2030 and will play a major role in the emirate's industrial and economic diversification by serving as a key hub for large scale industrial investments serviced by a world class port, transport and other facilities.

Phase 1 of Khalifa Port will open in 2012, replacing Abu Dhabi's existing main port of Mina Zayed. The new port will have an initial capacity of two million teu of containers and nine million tonnes of general cargo.

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