Abu Dhabi Ports has awarded local MUC Engineering the consultancy contract for upgrading the container terminal at  the Port of Fujairah.

The consultancy contract  will involve assessing the business case for upgrading the terminal’s superstructures, including the installation of gantry cranes and yard equipment.

Ross Thompson, chief commercial and strategy officer of Abu Dhabi Ports, recently told MEED that the scope of the consultancy work will include a long-term forecast for the terminal. “An upgrade in superstructure and equipment will be a function of commerciality,” says Thompson.

MEED earlier reported that Abu Dhabi Ports expects to tender the contract  to deepen the berth to 16.5 metres, build a 1 kilometre quay and construct a 300,000 square-metre storage yard at the container terminal to be issued before end of the year.

Abu Dhabi Ports signed a 35-year concession earlier this year with the Port of Fujairah to develop and operate the container terminal at the port, which was previously managed by Dubai-based DP World.

Operating and expanding the container terminal, which is outside the Strait of Hormuz, is a key component of Abu Dhabi Ports’ future growth strategy.