Businesses moving cargo through Fujairah can now send containers directly by rail to Abu Dhabi’s Industrial City of Abu Dhabi (ICAD), with a new customs-enabled inland gateway designed to bring clearance and cargo release closer to warehouses, factories and end markets.
The new Fujairah-ICAD rail service links Fujairah Terminals on the Gulf of Oman with ICAD through the UAE National Rail Network, covering approximately 200 kilometres. The dedicated freight service will operate three times a week.
The development gives shipping lines, freight forwarders and cargo owners the option to name ICAD as the cargo destination and clearance point — a change that could simplify the movement of imported goods into Abu Dhabi’s industrial areas.
Fujairah-ICAD rail service brings customs clearance inland
The key change is that the new service combines rail transportation with customs, inspection and cargo-release facilities at ICAD.
Containers arriving at Fujairah Terminals can be transferred directly onto rail and moved inland to ICAD, where customs clearance and inspection can take place before the cargo is released to customers.
ICAD has also been assigned the UN location code AECAD, formally establishing it as a recognised logistics location within international shipping and trade systems.
This allows cargo documentation and bookings to identify ICAD as the destination and clearance location, rather than treating the port as the final point in the cargo journey.
For importers and manufacturers based around Abu Dhabi, the model is intended to reduce the number of handling stages between a vessel’s arrival and the point where cargo reaches its final destination.
How the new Fujairah rail route works
The logistics chain combines three elements:
Fujairah Terminals: the maritime entry point for cargo arriving through the Gulf of Oman.
Etihad Rail: the approximately 200km rail connection transporting containers inland.
ICAD: the inland cargo gateway where customs clearance, inspection and cargo release services are available.
The result is an integrated sea-rail-land movement designed to take cargo beyond the port and closer to the businesses receiving it.
The service is aimed at importers, exporters, manufacturers, distributors and logistics providers operating in Abu Dhabi and surrounding industrial markets.
Three weekly rail services will connect Fujairah and ICAD
The dedicated service will operate three times per week, giving businesses a scheduled rail option for moving cargo between the East Coast port and Abu Dhabi’s industrial hub.
Etihad Rail said the service is designed to provide more predictable cargo movements while supporting higher-volume freight operations.
The companies also expect the rail connection to reduce reliance on long-haul trucking along the corridor, potentially easing road congestion and lowering emissions associated with conventional road freight.
What AECAD means for shippers
The designation of ICAD with the UN LOCODE AECAD is an important part of the new logistics model.
UN location codes are used within international trade and shipping systems to identify locations involved in the movement of goods. With ICAD recognised as AECAD, shipping lines, freight forwarders and cargo owners can book shipments directly to the inland location.
For businesses, this effectively makes ICAD more than a destination at the end of a rail journey. It becomes a designated cargo and customs gateway within the international logistics chain.
That can simplify the process for companies whose warehouses, manufacturing facilities or distribution operations are located in and around Abu Dhabi.
Who can use the Fujairah-ICAD service?
The service is particularly relevant to companies moving significant volumes of containerised cargo into Abu Dhabi’s industrial and commercial areas.
Potential users include:
Importers bringing goods into the UAE
Exporters moving cargo through the national rail network
Manufacturers in and around ICAD
Distributors serving Abu Dhabi and nearby markets
Freight forwarders and logistics providers
Shipping lines looking for inland cargo connections
The service also gives businesses an alternative to moving the full distance from Fujairah to Abu Dhabi by road.
Etihad Rail and AD Ports Group expand multimodal logistics network
The service is being developed jointly by Etihad Rail and AD Ports Group, combining the national railway with port and logistics infrastructure.
Etihad Rail Freight CEO Omar Alsebeyi said the partnership is intended to go beyond transportation by bringing port-related services closer to where cargo is ultimately required.
AD Ports Group’s Ports Cluster CEO Saif Al Mazrouei said the connection links Fujairah Terminals, the national rail network and ICAD as part of a more integrated trade corridor.
The new route adds another connection to the UAE’s growing multimodal logistics infrastructure, linking a maritime gateway on the country’s east coast with one of Abu Dhabi’s major industrial centres.
For businesses, the practical proposition is a single cargo flow that combines sea transport, rail freight and inland customs processing, potentially reducing handling steps between vessel arrival and final delivery.
tanvir@dubainewsweek.com
