HONG Kong-based port terminal operator Hutchison Ports is to take over operations of the Ahmed Bin Rashid Port in Umm Al Quwain, in the United Arab Emirates.

Hutchison did not disclose financial details of the agreement in its announcement. It said the company will run the facility under the name of Hutchison Ports UAQ.

The port is a key entry-exit point for container, general, roll-on/roll-off (ro-ro) and bulk cargo in the northern UAE.

Hutchison Ports' managing director of Middle East and Africa, Andy Tsoi, said: "The UAE economy is growing strongly and there is great demand for terminal facilities in the northern part of the Emirates. Our target is to improve the service level of the port to facilitate the emirate's import and export trade."

Hutchison Ports UAQ is a four-berth facility with an 845-metre-long quay and a 23-hectare yard with access to northern UAE road connections, American Shipper reported.

"The port in Umm Al Quwain has a long, rich history. With the presence of Hutchison Ports, we expect the terminal to be better positioned to serve the local community," said Sultan Saeed Al Ali, executive director at Umm al Quwain Ports, Customs & Free Zone Corp. "This will help support our existing businesses while also helping to attract future investment into the emirate."