CMA CGM and AD Ports to Expand Khalifa Terminal Capacity

France’s CMA CGM Group and Abu Dhabi’s AD Ports have agreed to enlarge their joint container terminal at Khalifa Port, less than a year after it opened, following demand that exceeded initial projections.

CMA Terminals Khalifa Port, owned 70 percent by CMA CGM and 30 percent by AD Ports, has experienced strong uptake since operations began in December 2024. The partners will invest AED 420m ($115m) in the terminal’s next development phase, with contributions aligned to their ownership stakes.

The project is expected to be completed in early 2028 and will increase capacity by nearly 50 percent, raising the terminal’s handling capability from 1.8m teu to 2.7m teu. As a result, Khalifa Port’s overall capacity will rise to about 10.5m teu, an increase of roughly 9 percent.

Saif Al Mazrouei, CEO of AD Ports’ ports cluster, said the agreement reflects the port’s growing momentum and Abu Dhabi’s broader ambition to strengthen its global trade presence. Christine Cabau, CMA CGM’s EVP for operations and assets, noted that the terminal reached full capacity within 10 months, prompting both partners to advance phase two earlier than planned.

The expansion will add 400 meters of quay to the existing 800 meters and increase yard area by more than 40 percent. New systems and infrastructure upgrades, including additional reefer racks, will support the rising demand for refrigerated cargo.

Khalifa Port has emerged as a major transshipment hub in the region, moving up global port rankings. Operational indicators continue to climb: in Q3 2025, AD Ports’ ports cluster handled 20 percent more containers year on year, while CMA Terminals Khalifa Port neared the 1m teu mark for the year and was operating at 87 percent utilization.

The expansion follows another collaboration between the two companies in November, when AD Ports acquired a 20 percent stake in Syria’s Latakia International Container Terminal for AED 81m ($22m). Both operators will jointly manage the facility, which handles over 95 percent of Syria’s container volumes and is planned to expand from 250,000 teu to 625,000 teu by 2026.