Abu Dhabi accelerates its port infrastructure to become a global maritime city

The Abu Dhabi Department of Municipalities and Transport (DMT) and Abu Dhabi Ports (ADP) aim to transform Abu Dhabi into a global maritime city. To achieve this, seven sites across Abu Dhabi will be developed, featuring ferry terminals, marinas, slipways, floating berthing facilities, and associated edge protection and navigation channels.

Abu Dhabi Ports commissioned Ayesa to provide Marine and Coastal Engineering Consultancy services, overseeing the development of the seven facilities from concept master planning to detailed design. Our scope of work included designing marinas and floating berth facilities, ferry terminals, ramp and mooring dolphin structures, navigational channels, slipways, and edge protection structures such as rock revetments and vertical quay walls.

Ayesa created a Vessel Berthing Analysis Report for the entire Abu Dhabi region, assessing existing vessel traffic to recommend the optimal vessel mix for each planned facility. This critical review allowed us to optimise marina layouts, maximising the number of berths and generating additional revenue. Additionally, we performed a static mooring analysis for each facility, considering the recommended design vessels. This analysis enabled us to optimise the selected bollards and the associated mooring dolphin structures, ultimately reducing overall construction costs.

During the design phase, Ayesa developed 2D Plaxis finite element models for each site. This detailed modelling allowed us to calculate preloading requirements to control settlement during construction and long-term settlements throughout the structures’ lifespan.