UAE’s first chemicals port to launch at Ruwais by 2026

Dubai: ADNOC Logistics & Services (ADNOC L&S) and TA’ZIZ today signed a landmark 50-year strategic agreement to develop and operate a dedicated chemicals port in Ruwais. The move marks a critical infrastructure milestone in the UAE’s ambitions to build a vertically integrated chemicals value chain.

Under the deal, ADNOC L&S will build, own, and operate the port, while TA’ZIZ will utilise it to export chemicals and derivatives efficiently. The facility is valued at over $300 million and is expected to be completed by Q4 2026. In its first 27 years of operation, the port is projected to generate more than $1.3 billion in revenue for ADNOC L&S, providing the company with long-term earnings visibility.

TA’ZIZ is targeting a chemicals output of 4.7 million tonnes per annum by the end of 2028, producing methanol, low-carbon ammonia, caustic soda, EDC, VCM, and PVC, among others. The chemicals port will serve as a critical export gateway for these products.

The decision intensifies the UAE’s push to reduce reliance on raw hydrocarbon exports and raise value creation within its borders. Since TA’ZIZ was established as a joint venture by ADNOC and ADQ, its mandate has been to catalyse industrial diversification in Al Ruwais.

Chemical ports in Ruwais

In 2024, TA’ZIZ awarded over $2 billion in infrastructure contracts for the port, terminal, pipelines, roads and utilities to support its chemical plants.

Earlier, in 2021, ADNOC L&S and AD Ports Group agreed to develop a liquids terminal and logistics facility at Ruwais to support feedstock supply and storage for TA’ZIZ’s chemical complex. That partnership laid much of the groundwork for today’s full port agreement.

From a commercial perspective, the port adds a new stable earnings stream to ADNOC L&S’s portfolio, complementing its existing maritime and logistics operations. The alignment with TA’ZIZ also enshrines synergies across feed, production, logistics and export phases of the chemicals value chain.

Once complete, the port will become a gateway to Asia, Africa and other key global markets, helping the UAE compete more directly in higher-value chemical exports. The project also strengthens supply chain resilience by bringing export infrastructure in-house for TA’ZIZ, rather than relying on third-party ports.

The agreement comes as ADNOC L&S expands its role in the petrochemical logistics sector. In June 2025, Borouge awarded ADNOC L&S a 15-year logistics contract covering up to 70% of its output, worth $531 million.