Container feeder operator SAFEEN Feeders, part of the AD Ports Group, announced it has acquired a containership that will join its feeder service fleet in the Arabian Gulf.
SAFEEN Pearl, formerly called Vega Virgo, will be deployed in its UAE Coastal Service (UCO) providing connection to UAE ports, including the Group’s flagship Khalifa Port, and the coastal ports of Ajman, Umm Al Quwain, Ras Al Khaimah, Sharjah and Fujairah.
Captain Maktoum Al Houqani, Chief Corporate Authority Officer and Acting Head of Maritime Cluster - AD Ports Group, Managing Director – Abu Dhabi Maritime Academy said, “We welcome the addition of SAFEEN Pearl, which further strengthens our unique feeder proposition in the Arabian Gulf, and also brings a host of enhanced capabilities and much needed capacity into the ranks of our esteemed service fleet.
“As part of the UAE-Coastal Feeder Service, SAFEEN Pearl will greatly improve our ability to provide customers with a flexible, agile, sustainable, and cost-effective solution that meets their demand of a coastal service in the UAE from our hub at Khalifa Port. It will also develop our ability to target customers in the Indian subcontinent and the Arabian Gulf region and connect them with some of the world’s leading shipping liners.”
SAFEEN Pearl has a gross registered tonnage (GRT) of 10,000 tonnes and a nominal handling capacity of 966 TEU. It has a LOA of 139 meters, breadth of 22.6 meters and a draft of 8.8 meters. It was built in South Korea in 2012.