AD Ports Group achieves significant progress in advancing sustainability agenda in 2023

AD Ports Group announced today the release of its 2023 Sustainability Report, in which it highlights significant progress in its decarbonisation plans, demonstrating its proactive and forward-thinking approach to addressing global sustainability challenges.

The report reflects AD Ports Group commitment, as a listed entity on the Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange, to sharing performance with stakeholders and transparency in operations. As a key player in the maritime, industrial, and logistics sectors, the Group’s initiatives align with UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and sustainability objectives set by Abu Dhabi and the UAE.

The report explores the Group’s journey, partnerships, and collaborative efforts, aspiring to shape a more sustainable and resilient future for all. It emphasises the pivotal role of AD Ports Group in fostering positive environmental, social, and economic impacts (ESG).

Some of the wide-ranging achievements covered in the report were the successful introduction of 124 Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiatives, an 84% employee job satisfaction rate, a 57% increase in the total number of employee training hours and a 42% increase in the number of female employees.

The Group also received several prestigious awards for its Environmental, Social & Governance (ESG) work during the year from the United Nations, the Harvard Business Council, an International Business Award and an Abu Dhabi Sustainable Business Leadership Award, among others.

A major highlight was the Group’s progress in decarbonisation. In 2023, the Group reduced the environmental intensity of container port handling operations through efficiency gains, energy savings and decarbonisation efforts. its greenhouse gas (GHG) emission intensity, an industry measure of the environmental impact of industrial activity, fell by 2%, in 2023 to 11.67 kilograms of carbon dioxide equivalent per TEU (Twenty Foot Equivalent Unit) (kgCO2e per TEU) in 2023 from 11.93 kgCO2e per TEU in 2022.

The reductions were achieved through greater efficiency within the Group’s container handling operations, more energy savings at its terminals, and ongoing decarbonisation efforts such as the increased use of electricity from solar photovoltaic (PV) units.

The 2023 Sustainability Report reported a 7% reduction in electricity consumption intensity. The improvements were amongst a broader set of sustainability gains that also included a 174% increase in the quantity of solid waste that was recycled.

The solar PV electric generating capacity integrated into its 2023 operations has contributed to a reduction of 5,000 tonnes of CO2 equivalent using clean energy.

The Group has solar PV integration projects planned at Khalifa Port, Zayed Port and its administrative headquarters in Abu Dhabi, and at a multipurpose port operation in Safaga, Egypt, which the Group manages under a concession for Egypt’s Red Sea Ports Authority.

Captain Mohamed Juma Al Shamisi, AD Ports Group Managing Director and CEO, said, “In our determined effort to foster equitable growth and inspired by our leadership’s wise vision, AD Ports Group has taken significant strides in diversifying the UAE’s economy, while adhering to our sustainability commitments. AD Ports Group has achieved significant progress in advancing its sustainability agenda. As we navigate an ever-evolving global landscape, our commitment to Environmental, Social, and Governance principles remains at the core of our strategy.”

Captain Saif Al Mheiri, Abu Dhabi Maritime CEO and Acting Chief Sustainability Officer at AD Ports Group, stated, “I salute our teams for their hard work and commitment to advancing AD Ports Group’s sustainability goals; their efforts are clearly reflected in the positive results of our 2023 Sustainability Report. As we continue to grow and expand, AD Ports Group’s experience shows that it is possible to grow sustainably, advancing business and societal goals.”

AD Ports Group is a diversified trade, transport, logistics and industrial development group that is active in more than 50 countries around the world. The Group operates five main business clusters in Ports, Maritime & Shipping, Economic Cities & Free Zones, Logistics and Digital.

In 2023, AD Ports Group’s flagship Khalifa Port in Abu Dhabi was named the world’s third-most efficient container port in the Container Port Performance Index (CPPI) published by the World Bank and S&P Global Market Intelligence.

Source: Esraa Esmail, WAM (Emirates News Agency)