Abu Dhabi Ports is now one of nine organizations, and the first of its kind in the UAE, accredited by the International Association of Marine Aids to Navigation & Lighthouse Authorities (IALA) worldwide.
The Company is also licensed from the UAE Federal Transport Authority, contributing to Abu Dhabi’s growth as a global maritime hub and center of excellence.
Abu Dhabi Marine Services (Safeen) – an operating unit of Abu Dhabi Ports, offering a full range of navigation and harbor services to the ports and its customers – has been delivering cutting-edge Aids to Navigation (AtoN) training courses and granting completion certificates to employees.
Safeen employees – including the first Emirati female employee – received certificates of AtoN Level-2 training based on IALA Level-2 Model Courses, the highest internationally accredited navigational standard. The training assimilation in Safeen was evaluated via written and oral examinations conducted by IALA accredited instructor, Captain AbdulAziz Al Hammadi, Senior Navigation Service Manager at Safeen. Additionally, Abu Dhabi Ports plans to offer this professionally accredited course to entities that provide maritime and offshore services.
Mr. Maktoum Al Houqani, Chief Marine Services Officer of Safeen, said: “We are the first in the region to offer this course, which goes to show our keen commitment to training and developing qualified staff at Safeen, in line with international maritime standards, to ensure best value for our clients.”
Capt. AbdulAziz Al Hammadi, Senior Navigation Service Manager at Safeen and the certified instructor in the region to deliver IALA’s Level-2 training course, added: “The accreditation our training center received by IALA is testament to our commitment to delivering the highest quality maritime training and positions us competitively in the region. It has been an exciting experience having served as a certified instructor of IALA and witnessing the first Emirati woman to receive the IALA Level-2 certification in the UAE, Ms. Sahar Rasti, Safeen’s Navigation Services Coordinator, has been particularly rewarding.”
Safeen’s navigation department manages 1,198 buoys and beacons over 52 channels and waterways, covering a span of 472 kilometers across Abu Dhabi. Abu Dhabi Ports’ Training Department has provided training to a number of entities and is looking to train their employees in AtoN Level-2 courses.
IALA is an 80-member-country organization representing navigation services and interests worldwide. IALA publishes module courses for AtoN (Aids to Navigation) Training. Level 1 is designed for management and Level 2 for technicians.
Established in 2006, Abu Dhabi Ports celebrates 10 years of innovation, growth and partnership embarking on another decade of facilitating economic diversification through enabling maritime and trade development. This is done by delivering high quality maritime services, supporting partners’ infrastructure projects and setting up new companies and joint ventures in the ports and logistics sectors.
The flagship Khalifa Port and Khalifa Industrial Zone Abu Dhabi (Kizad) play a pivotal role in the diversification of the economy. Khalifa Port was inaugurated on 12/12/12 by the UAE President H.H Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan. The port’s semi-automated container terminal handles all of Abu Dhabi’s container traffic, after its transfer from Zayed Port, the historic port in the city center.
Khalifa Port’s current capacity is 2.5 million TEUs (20-foot equivalent units/containers) and 12 million tonnes of general cargo. Further phases of development will occur as market demand requires. When all phases are complete, Khalifa Port will be able to handle 15 million TEUs and 35 million tonnes of general cargo per year.
Abu Dhabi Ports manages 10 commercial, logistics, community and leisure ports, and Khalifa Industrial Zone that is serving a range of logistics and manufacturing investors. Abu Dhabi Ports is boosting Abu Dhabi’s economic growth and diversification, in line with Abu Dhabi’s Economic Vision.
