Abu Dhabi Ports is planning a Dh3.8 billion expansion of Khalifa Port by 2021 as it looks to boost capacity. About Dh2.2bn will be invested in expanding the port and developing its south quay and logistics facilities and Dh1.6bn will be invested in Abu Dhabi Terminals, said the operator said. The expansion will be partly self-funded and partly financed through local banks, Jakob Larsen, chief commercial officer at Abu Dhabi Terminals told reporters. Abu Dhabi Ports, which operates the Zayed and Khalifa Ports as well as the associated Kizad free zone, saw its container volumes surge 82.4 per cent in the first half of 2019. With its latest expansion, container handling capacity is expected to increase by 50 per cent to 7.5 million twenty-foot equivalent unit (TEUs), from 5m currently. Abu Dhabi Ports plans to expand capacity to 9 million TEUs within five years. As part of its latest push, a 3 kilometre quay wall with 18.5 metres of along-side draft will be built, in addition to a 1.3 million square metre terminal yard. The expansion will also cover Khalifa Logistics, logistics facilities that include a 3.1km quay wall with an 8m draft, 15 berths and land plots tailored to individual customers. Phase one of the quay development will be completed by the fourth quarter of next year, with the entire scheme set for completion in the first quarter of 2021. Similarly, the second phase of Khalifa Logistics is targeted for completion in the first quarter of 2021. The two developments are expected to contribute to Dh3.2bn to Abu Dhabi's gross domestic product by 2025, the company said. Abu Dhabi Terminals, which has been earmarked for a Dh1.6bn investment will double its handling capacity to 5 million TEUs from 2.5 million. The investment will also support technological advancements such as automated truck loading and discharge. The $7 billion (Dh27.7bn) Khalifa Port, which opened in 2012, teamed up last year with Cosco Shipping Ports, the Hong Kong-listed unit of the world’s number three container shipping company China Cosco Shipping Corporation, to invest and operate a terminal at the facility.