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Abu Dhabi Ports Company appoints new Chief Executive Officer
June 27, 2010
Abu Dhabi Ports Company has today (Sunday, June 27, 2010) announced the appointment of Tony Douglas as its new Chief Executive Officer.
Douglas is the former Chief Operating Officer (COO) and Group Chief Executive designate of Laing O’Rourke, the UK’s leading privately-owned international construction solutions company, and a previous Chief Executive of Heathrow, one of the world’s leading airports.
The new CEO will steer the development of ADPC’s extensive portfolio of projects, including the flagship Khalifa Port and Industrial Zone (KPIZ).
Announcing the appointment today, Dr Sultan Ahmed Al-Jaber, Chairman of ADPC, said: “I wish to acknowledge the work of previous management of ADPC for their contributions to the company. Their work is appreciated and has provided firm foundations on which to move forward.
“As we enter a new phase in the development of our organization, we are delighted that Tony Douglas is part of our team. He brings with him great experience and talent in the management of infrastructure projects across the world and in the region. The company is developing major projects as part of the Abu Dhabi Vision Plan 2030 and I am confident his stewardship will contribute to the success of their implementation.”
Douglas added:
“I am thrilled to be joining Abu Dhabi Ports Company at this time with the company taking center stage in the diversification of Abu Dhabi’s economy, and there are exciting times ahead. Our remit is broad – from managing ports throughout the emirate, supporting partners with their infrastructure projects, ensuring trade is encouraged to creating one of the world’s largest concentrations of industry and business at the Khalifa Port and Industrial Zone.”
“This project alone is key given the creation of new port capacity and the building of an environment for business to thrive. KPIZ is world class and world scale. With over 400 sq kms of land available for development it is larger than many cities. It is set to become a major trade and business hub and will contribute greatly to the development of the emirate and the UAE’s economy,” he added.
Environmental protection Initiatives to protect the environment there include an 880 million AED (US $240 million) environmental breakwater, the only port in the world with this feature to protect adjacent coral reefs and sea grass meadows in the area.
Surveys and monitoring have been ongoing since 2008 with video recordings, analysis by world leading scientists and a GIS mapping study to evaluate the integrity of the reef ecosystem and processes affecting it.
A fauna relocation project involving the surveying of port land and relocation of animals to appropriate environments prior to construction has also been completed.
Located midway between Abu Dhabi and Dubai in the Taweelah industrial district, KPIZ will commence operations in 2012 and over the long term to 2030 will comprise 417 square kilometers of prime industrial land organized into vertically integrated clusters for aluminium, petrochemicals, glass, paper and other major sectors. It will consist of a new, world-class multi-purpose offshore port and one of the largest integrated industrial zones in the world.
Phase 1 of Khalifa Port will open in 2012, replacing Abu Dhabi’s existing main port of Mina Zayed. The new port will have an initial capacity of 2 million TEUs (Twenty Foot Equivalent Units), of containers and 9 million tons of general cargo. The dedicated EMAL berth will be operational later this year. When all phases of Khalifa Port are completed, it will have a capacity of 15 million TEU’s of containers and 35 million tons of general cargo.
ADPC’s vision is to be the preferred provider of world class integrated ports and industrial zone services. The mission is:
- To fulfill ADPC’s role into realization of the Abu Dhabi Vision 2030
- Develop and maintain long term relationships with leading local and international customers
- Achieve sustainable development while supporting community needs and preserving local values
- Be the employer of choice that attracts and retains high caliber staff
- Increase shareholder value and satisfy other stakeholders expectations
Abu Dhabi Ports Company (ADPC) is a developer of ports, industrial zones, trade & logistics zones, and related services. Its purpose is to create a sustainable growth platform that spurs economic expansion and diversification for Abu Dhabi. ADPC has been established by Emiri decree number 6, 2006 and has been mandated to construct, develop and manage all ports and related infrastructure in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi (with the exception of military and oil & gas ports).
Notes to Editors
Khalifa Port – facts at a glance
- Environmental & Wave Attenuation Breakwaters: 8 Km
- Dredging / Reclamation: 45 M m3
- Main & EMAL Quay Walls (~18M deep): 4 Km
- Revetments: 18 Km
- EMAL Trestle Bridge: 1.6 Km
- Utility and Causeway Bridges (each): 1.0 Km (ea)
Industrial Zone
- Interchanges: 5 ea
- Roads (single to 4 lane carriage ways): 58 Km
- Bridges: 12 ea
- Piping (different sizes): 246 Km
- Cables (33kV and 11kV): 126 Km
Did you know…
- The physical dredging and reclamation works of the 2.7 sq kms port island (4.5 km offshore) with an 800m x 3.6 km basin at a depth of 16m and a 250 x 12 km approach channel at a depth of 16.5 m is ahead of schedule and will be complete by the end of July2010.
- The KPIZ project is on schedule with the mass fill of the industrial zone, raising its ground level by the height of a person in Area A – some 20 sq kms, by ferrying up to 400,000 cubic meters (523,180 cubic yards) per week of sand and other material
- The project fleet for the landfill peaked at more than 400, 22 wheel trailers, 120 bull dozers, 60 wheel loaders, 25 rollers, 25 graders and 40 water tankers
- Overall, the project team has dredged enough material since the project began to fill 17,600 Olympic sized swimming pools
- A seawater cooling facility for the new aluminium smelter includes 13 kms of 2.6 meter diameter pipe
- The KPIZ project holds the national record for 1st and 3rd longest bridges.
Tony Douglas biography
In his role as Chief Operating Officer and the Group Chief Executive designate for Laing O’Rourke, Tony Douglas had a broad executive remit covering strategic business development and operational management across the Group’s three geographic hubs: Europe; Middle East and South Asia; and Australasia. As a member of the Group Executive Board, he led accountability for the Group’s largest and most complex project delivery activities.
Mr. Douglas also sat on the board of the ALDAR Properties / Laing O’Rourke joint venture, the strategic 50/50 investment, development and project delivery vehicle currently constructing the prestigious US$20bn Al-Raha Beach waterfront city along 11km of the Gulf coast in Abu Dhabi.
Before joining Laing O’Rourke, he held a number of senior executive positions with BAA, the UK’s leading airport infrastructure operator and a FTSE 40 company, culminating in his appointment as Chief Executive in charge of Heathrow, one of the world’s premier airports. He was an executive member of the BAA Group Board and an active participant in the £16.3bn takeover of BAA by Grupo Ferrovial.
He was previously Terminal 5 Managing Director, with overall executive responsibility for the delivery of the £4.3bn Terminal 5 build programme. Prior to this Mr. Douglas was BAA’s Group Technical Director with responsibility for technical functions, including development, design, group supply chain, construction and maintenance of new and improved airport facilities. He hasalso held the position as BAA’s Group Supply Chain Director accountable for £1bn annual expenditure for construction and related products and services.
Earlier in his career he worked for the Kenwood Group as Manufacturing and Global Logistics Director. This was his first role on the board of a major internationally-focussed PLC. Amechanical engineer by training, his career began in 1979 at General Motors, where he joined as an apprentice industrial engineer. In 1990 he moved to BAE, where he rose to become Product Process Director in its regional aircraft division.