AD Ports Group’s Safeen Feeders has launched a new UAE-China service, deploying a recently purchased container vessel, Safeen Power, with a capacity of 3,400 TEUs.

The monthly service will connect the Chinese ports of Shanghai, Qingdao and Ningbo directly with Khalifa Port in Abu Dhabi, opening an important new trade route, said a Wam news agency report.

It will be Safeen Feeders’ first service to call in China, as the company continues to expand its global reach. Recently, Safeen N Feeders announced it would support the new India East Coast Express 2 service, which links Singapore, Colombo in Sri Lanka and Chennai, India.

China is among the UAE’s top commercial partners, with bilateral commerce between China and the UAE exceeding $75.6 billion in 2021. Additionally, around 6,000 Chinese businesses currently operate in the UAE, with a sizable Chinese population working primarily in the infrastructure and energy sectors.

Captain Ammar Mubarak Al Shaiba, Acting CEO, Maritime Cluster and SAFEEN Group, AD Ports Group, said: “The launch of a new service to China, which is one of the most important markets for the UAE, reflects our global vision for the expansion of maritime services. AD Ports Group has the vessels and expertise to support new trade routes for our customers, and we will continue to enhance our capacity and portfolio of services.”

“China-UAE trade is predicted to continue to grow significantly over the coming period, and this monthly service will support faster delivery times and provide greater efficiency.”

Since its launch in 2020, Safeen Feeders has grown swiftly, boosting overall container capacity to more than 600,000 TEUs/year. Its container services support mainliner shipping companies and clients in the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Bahrain, Iraq, Sudan, Pakistan, and India, and are now expanding along new routes.

In total, Safeen Feeders now operates along five routes, with the new UAE-China and Singapore-Chennai-Colombo services joining the UAE-Sudan service launched in 2022, and the UAE Coastal-Oman and UAE-India-Gulf services introduced earlier.