Mussafah

Musaffah
Industrial city
Musaffah

Location in the UAE

Coordinates: 24°20′N 54°31′E / 24.333°N 54.517°ECoordinates: 24°20′N 54°31′E / 24.333°N 54.517°E
Country  United Arab Emirates
Government
 • Type Constitutional monarchy
 • Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed
 • Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed
Time zone UAE standard time (UTC+4)
Website Mussafahindustrial.com

Musaffah is an industrial town to the southwest of Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. Also known as Musaffah Sanaiya, it is one of the most important economic areas of the United Arab Emirates and has been designated a special economic zone, with numerous factories and port.

History

Mussafah was a small industrial area in the 1970s. A 1980 MEED report described it as "a maze of roads and half-completed buildings" where industrial operations principally comprised workshops, service and maintenance facilities. The report stated that a pipe plant proposal in the area had strong local backing.[1] Growth was facilitated by the building of the 480 metres (1,570 ft)[2] Mussafah Bridge, a six-lane bridge which was built between 1976 and 1978, connecting the island of Abu Dhabi to the main land, following investment by the Korean company Dongah.[3][4] An engineering assessment of the bridge in 1994 revealed that the concrete in the bridge was not sustainable and was beyond repair.[4] As a result the bridge underwent much restoration work in the 1990s, and generating new interest in developing Mussafah as an industrial centre. In 1996, the Abu Dhabi Seaports Authority announced a Dh2.4 billion development plan of the area, including the building of a new port in Mussafah.[5] In 1998, many medium-rise buildings, mostly for offices, were proposed, and a local police station was built.[6]

The government began offering incentives to businesses to operate in Mussafah, offering them zone services including exemption from customs on imported good, land, and industrial licenses.[7] Mussafah is now the site for the "Abu Dhabi Industrial City", a special economic zone.[8] As a result, the economic development of the area boomed in the 2000s, facilitated by its own port on the northern side.[7] Hydrocarbons-intensive industries have been one of the major areas of growth.[7] By January 2009, about 30% of the land in the Polymer Park vicinity had been let out. It was estimated that by 2012, the area would be about 60% utilized, exceeding $27 million in investment.[7] A Bonar Emirates Technical Yarns factory, run by both ADBIC and Low & Bonar in conjunction, was established in April 2008 and manufactures industrial grass yarn.[7]

Abu Dhabi Drilling Chemicals and Products Ltd. (ADDCAP), a fully owned subsidiary of ADNOC, began operating in Mussafah in 2007.[9] Ducab began operating in 2008 from a new plant in Mussafah where they have sought to increase their production capacity of low- and medium-voltage cables from 65,000 cubic tons to 110,000 cubic tons per year.[10] Their other plant is in Jebel Ali.[11]

In 2011, Abu Dhabi Urban Planning Council (UPC) officially handed over the landmark 53-kilometre long Mussafah Channel project to Abu Dhabi Ports Company (ADPC) for operational use. The development of the $411 million (AED1.5 billion) deepwater Musaffah Port and Musaffah Channel included a new general cargo terminal at the northwest corner of the Musaffah Industrial Area, as well as an extensive waterfront occupied by numerous private berths and terminals.[12] Mussafah Shabiya is a fast-growing residential area with apartments and villas.[13]

Geography

Mussafah is situated some 20km southeast of the centre of Abu Dhabi and is a satellite town.[8] On the eastern side is Mohammed Bin Zayed City and to the south is ICAD II and Al Maqatrah. The E30 road passes on its eastern side, between Mussafah and Mohammed Bin Zayed City. A road and rail system exists between Mussafah and Taweelah.[7] 88 towers exist on either side of the 3.5 kilometres (2.2 mi) section of highway between the Mussafah Bridge and the highway interchange for the industrial estate.[14] The bridge has two identical components which comprise, in addition to a carriageway, a footway 2 metres (6 ft 7 in) in width.[2] Mussafah's aesthetic qualities have been criticised by many.[15][16] One author said that the "semi-industrial areas like Mussafah have morphed into grimy shanty-towns for thousands. The cramped, dirty quarters are hot, pungent and a long way from the smart, iridescent blocks of the city."[15]

The port facility provides for cargo operations and warehousing for a wide range of clients.[17] A new tunnel of 280 m length links the airport with Mussafah.[18] The Mussafah Channel is a man-made canal,[19] with gypsum crystals described as large and bladed.[20] The banks at the eastern end of the Mussafah Channel reportedly have "Pleistocene reworked dune deposits, unconformably overlain by Holocene carbonates and sabkha evaporates."[21][19] The channel's inner reaches are situated approximately 7 kilometres (4.3 mi) inland from the location of the present-day lagoon. The port has a 342 metres (1,122 ft) long main quay and two 40 metres (130 ft) long side quays and covers an area of 37,500 square metres (404,000 sq ft). The depth of draft is 11 metres (36 ft) at the port and is linked with the new Mussafah Channel (a channel dredged 9 metres (30 ft) below the datum) which is about 53 kilometres (33 mi) in length.[17][22]

Municipal administration

The municipal administration area of Mussafah has a population of about 151,000 and its jurisdiction includes Mussafah Industrial Area, northern coastal zone, labour camps, commercial center of Khalifa, new industrial center, residential and commercial areas of Mohammed Bin Zayed, also residential areas of Khalifa City.[23]

References

  1. ↑ MEED =- MIDDLE EAST ECONOMIC DIGEST. Weekly news, analysis and forescast. 1980. p. 35. Retrieved 4 June 2013.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Das, Parag C.; Frangopol, Dan M.; Nowak, Andrzej S.; Institution of Civil Engineers (Gran Bretaña) (1 January 1999). Current and Future Trends in Bridge Design Construction and Maintenance: Safety, Economy, Sustainability and Aesthetics : Proceedinngs of the International Conference Organized by the Institution of Civil Engineers and Held in Singapore on 4-5 October 1999. Thomas Telford. pp. 563–. ISBN 978-0-7277-2841-8.
  3. ↑ Sakai, Koji (1988). Concrete Under Severe Conditions 2: Environment and Loading : Proceedings of the Second International Conference on Concrete Under Severe Conditions, CONSEC '98, Tromsø, Norway, June 21-24, 1998, Volume 3. Taylor & Francis. pp. 1759–. ISBN 9780419238805.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Gjørv, Odd E.; Sakai, Koji; Banthia, Nemkumar (1998). Concrete Under Severe Conditions 2: Environment and Loading : Proceedings of the Second International Conference on Concrete Under Severe Conditions, CONSEC '98, Tromsø, Norway, June 21-24, 1998. Taylor & Francis. p. 1759. ISBN 978-0-419-23880-5. Retrieved 4 June 2013.
  5. ↑ Trident Press Staff (1996). UAE Yearbook. Trident Press. p. 138. Retrieved 4 June 2013.
  6. ↑ MEED 42. Economic East Economic Digest. 1998.
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 7.5 The Report: Abu Dhabi 2009. Oxford Business Group. 2009. p. 154. ISBN 978-1-907065-04-0. Retrieved 4 June 2013.
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 Oxford Business Group (2009). The Report: Abu Dhabi 2009. Oxford Business Group. pp. 154–. ISBN 9781907065040.
  9. ↑ Doing Business and Investing in United Arab Emirates Guide. USA International Business Publications. 7 February 2007. p. 116. ISBN 978-1-4330-1267-9.
  10. ↑ United Arab Emirates Mineral & Mining Sector Investment and Business Guide. Int'l Business Publications. 7 February 2007. p. 33. ISBN 978-1-4330-5209-5.
  11. ↑ Geological Survey (U S ) (13 November 2012). Minerals Yearbook: Area Reports International Review 2010 Africa and the Middle East. Government Printing Office. p. 57. ISBN 978-1-4113-3174-7.
  12. ↑ "Abu Dhabi completes Dh1.5b Mussafah Channel project", Khaleej Times, February 2, 2011. Accessed April 3, 2013.
  13. ↑ Ghaith Abdul-Ahad, "We need slaves to build monuments", The Guardian, October 8, 2008. Accessed January 17, 2009.
  14. ↑ MEED. Economic East Economic Digest, Limited. October 2007. p. 44.
  15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 Tatchell, Jo (5 July 2012). A DIAMOND IN THE DESERT: Behind the Scenes in the World's Richest City: Behind the Scenes in the World's Richest City. Hodder & Stoughton. p. 173. ISBN 978-1-4447-5854-2.
  16. ↑ Schultz, Herb (May 2011). Sometimes the Sun Does Shine There and Other Stories. Major Terata Publications. p. 235. ISBN 978-0-9823516-4-2.
  17. ↑ 17.0 17.1 "About Mussafah Port". Abu Dhabi Terminals. Retrieved 5 June 2013.
  18. ↑ Ibrahim Al Abed, Peter Hellyer, Peter Vine; Ibrahim Al-Abed; Paula Vine; Peter Hellyer (1 December 2004). The United Arab Emirates Yearbook 2005. Trident Press Ltd. pp. 190–. ISBN 978-1-900724-89-0.
  19. ↑ 19.0 19.1 Advances in Carbonic Acid Research and Application: 2011 Edition: ScholarlyBrief. ScholarlyEditions. 9 January 2012. p. 34. ISBN 978-1-4649-2328-9.
  20. ↑ Kendall, Christopher G. St C.; Alsharhan, Abdulrahman (18 February 2011). Quaternary carbonate and evaporite sedimentary facies and their ancient analogues: A Tribute to Douglas James Shearman (Special Publication 43 of the IAS). John Wiley & Sons. pp. 515–. ISBN 978-1-4443-9231-9.
  21. ↑ Wright, V. Paul; Burchette, Trevor P. (1998). Carbonate ramps. Geological Society. p. 26. ISBN 978-1-86239-025-6.
  22. ↑ National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (1 January 2007). Sailing Directions - Enroute. ProStar Publications. p. 260. ISBN 978-1-57785-760-0.
  23. ↑ "Al Mussafah Center". Municipal Administration. Retrieved 5 June 2013.