Abu Dhabi Ports doubling visitor capacity at Sir Bani Yas Cruise Beach with AED 100 million expansion

The expansion will allow two vessels to dock at any given time and provide up to 5,000 passengers with direct access to embark and disembark at an accelerated rate on the southeast beach of Sir Bani Yas Island.

Presently, cruise ships set anchor about one kilometre offshore from the island and visitors are ferried to and from the Cruise Beach via tender craft.

BAM International, the operating name for the Dutch construction company Royal BAM Group, outside of Europe, was selected to design and construct the new jetty. The cruise jetty comprises an open-access trestle (350 metres  length x 6 metres width) extending to a piled berth platform (105 metres length x 15 metres width), together with eight mooring dolphins, firefighting equipment, solar lighting, as well as a hand railing, with an option to construct ten beach-control structures (groynes).

Noura Rashed Al Dhaheri, Cruise Terminal Director at Abu Dhabi Ports, said: ‘Today’s announcement heralds an exciting new phase in the spectacular success of Abu Dhabi’s cruise business at Sir Bani Yas Cruise Beach. Our commitment to its ongoing development will help us significantly increase the total number of visitors to the island, and reduce the time it takes to move them to and from a vessel.’

Eric van Zuthem, Chairman of the Board of BAM International, said:

‘The awarding of this contract to BAM International is testament to our unparalleled performance in delivering the highest quality marine construction. The new cruise jetty at Sir Bani Yas Cruise Beach is our first project with Abu Dhabi Ports, and we look forward to commencing a long and successful relationship between our organisations. From Australia to Curaçao, we have used our expertise to design and construct cruise jetties all over the world. Since the 1970s, we have maintained a strong presence in the Middle East and Arabian Gulf, so we can easily deploy our own fleet of marine equipment, including robust jack-up barges, to facilitate heavy-duty activities in demanding near-shore situations. We look forward to bringing our knowledge to the benefit of our client.’

Located in Abu Dhabi’s Al Dhafra Region, Sir Bani Yas Island is the Arabian Gulf’s first and only dedicated cruise beach stopover destination and is the gateway to some of the most spectacular wildlife and historical treasures in the region.

About Abu Dhabi Ports

Established in 2006, Abu Dhabi Ports is a global trade enabler strategically based in the capital of the United Arab Emirates. It is the region’s premier facilitator of logistics, transport, and trade, bridging Abu Dhabi with the world. Abu Dhabi Ports owns and manages 11 ports and terminals in the UAE and Guinea.

Abu Dhabi Ports’ largest subsidiary is Khalifa Industrial Zone Abu Dhabi (KIZAD), the integrated trade, logistics, and industrial hub, with the flagship, deep water Khalifa Port as its maritime gateway.  Additional subsidiaries of Abu Dhabi Ports are: Abu Dhabi Marine Services (SAFEEN), Maqta Gateway, Abu Dhabi Maritime Academy, Abu Dhabi Terminals (ADT), and Abu Dhabi Cruise Terminal. For more information, please visit: adports.ae  

About BAM International

BAM International deploys the contracting activities of Royal BAM Group outside of Europe. The company is active in Africa, Australia, Pacific Asia, the Middle East/Gulf States and America in the civil engineering, industry and non-residential construction sectors. BAM International specialises in the construction of marine facilities globally utilising its design engineers and its fleet of floating equipment. The company provides optimised build solutions with its vast experience and highest safety, quality and environmental standards. www.baminternational.com.

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