His Excellency Dr. Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber, Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology, Managing Director and CEO of the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC), and Chairman of Borouge; and His Excellency Suhail Mohamed Al Mazrouei, Minister of Energy and Infrastructure, witnessed the signing as well.  

The agreement was signed by Eng. Shadi Malak, CEO of Etihad Rail, and Hazeem Sultan Al Suwaidi, CEO of Borouge, in the presence of members of Etihad Rail and Borouge’s Board of Directors.

His Highness Theyab bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan said: “This strategic partnership comes in line with Etihad Rail's efforts to provide logistics solutions to some of the country’s largest companies, where they can transport goods through the rail network at reduced costs and time. In doing so, Etihad Rail also contributes to reducing carbon emissions, in line with the objectives of the UAE.”  

His Highness highlighted the role of ADNOC in supporting railway projects, as it was the first to use Etihad Rail’s services to transport granulated sulfur across the UAE, in addition, His Highness also highlighted Borouge's innovative capabilities in developing advanced solutions that enhance the UAE's competitiveness in the polymers industry and support the UAE's economy diversification efforts.

His Excellency Dr. Sultan Al Jaber, UAE Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology, Managing Director, ADNOC Group Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of Borouge, said: “This important collaboration between Borouge and Etihad Rail contributes to the growth of Abu Dhabi’s industrial sector and will support Borouge’s ongoing drive to optimize its logistics platform, lowering both its operating costs and carbon emissions.

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“The partnership reinforces Borouge’s resilience and accelerates the export of its ‘Made in the UAE’ products using more sustainable modes of transport, while ,”he added.  

This partnership will contribute to redirecting 88% of its value to the local economy in support of growth and economic diversification in the country.

It also includes the development of a rail freight terminal in Al Ruways Industrial City, extending over an area of more than one million square metres, where the terminal will handle loading and unloading, as well as storage and maintenance of shipping containers. By using rail, the time required to transport Borouge’s products will be reduced to 4 hours compared to 12 hours via other modes of transport.

The terminal is part of the series of freight terminals being developed by Etihad Rail, which are located in Industrial City of Abu Dhabi (ICAD), Khalifa Port, Dubai Industrial City, Jebel Ali Port, Al Ghail, and Fujairah Port. The network will form the cornerstone of the UAE’s distribution and logistical services both locally and regionally, with its customs warehouses, and cargo and goods inspection services.

Etihad Rail has successfully reserved 60% of the network’s annual transport capacity.This was achieved through the commercial agreements Etihad Rail has signed with key companies including Stevin Rock, one of the biggest quarrying companies in the world, Western Bainoona Group, and Al Ghurair Iron & Steel (AGIS).