The Breakbulk Middle East held in Dubai on February 1-2, with UAE Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure sponsorship, has highlighted the clear commitment of this geographical area to drive the progress of the thriving Project Cargo Sector, after the hiatus caused by the global pandemic caused by Covid-19.
Igor Muñiz, General Manager of Erhardt Projects, present at this important fair, share us some of the conclusions drawn during the presentations made during these days.
During his presentation, H.E. Eng. Hessa Al Malek, Advisor to the Minister of Shipping Affairs, UAE Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure, said, “As a major contributor to the UAE economy, the shipping sector is one of the most promising sectors in the country and will continue to maintain its leading status, both locally and regionally. In the UAE, we owe our success to the world-class infrastructure of our ports and the investments made by various organizations to adopt cutting-edge technologies. We have constantly worked to ensure that we provide the best ports and shipping infrastructure for the smooth running of the project cargo sector. Hence, our ports have the capacity to handle huge volumes of cargo. In 2020, the UAE received 25,000 port calls and our ports handled more than 19 million TEUs. We now want to capitalize on these figures in the coming year, despite the progressive Covid-19 crisis”.
From his point of view, Suhail Al Mazrouei, UAE Minister of Energy and Infrastructure, said: “Our commitment has been demonstrated through our global competitiveness ranking in several aspects. The country was ranked third in transport services trade and Bunker Supply Index. The country’s ports rank among the top ten internationally”.
During his presentation Saif Al Mazrouei, Head of AD Ports Group’s Ports Cluster, said, “Despite the disruptive impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in recent years, AD Ports Group and its partners in Abu Dhabi, have worked diligently to support efforts aimed at cultivating economic stability and recovery, while maintaining the steady flow of goods. During hat time, we have also forged numerous strategic partnerships that have boosted our ability to support the evolving needs of the region’s rapidly developing project cargo industry.”
With the current rapidly changing industry landscape and the world moving towards digital solutions in almost every business, Project Cargo Logistics globally is looking to enhance its digital portfolio to cater to the changing needs of the sector.
Khalid Al Shehhi, Marine Projects Manager at ADNOC Logistics and Services, and Marten Berg Thomsen, Head of Special Cargo Solutions for West and Central Asia at Maersk, highlighted how companies were digitally transforming business models, for example, port community systems and cargo platforms, and working to increase efficiency through technology.
