Abu Dhabi’s KFS taps Liwa to expand its fleet: Abu Dhabi-based shipbuilding firm Liwa has inked an AED 120 mn strategic partnership agreement with the privately-held Khalid Faraj Shipping Company (KFS) to build six large ships, Albayan reports. The timeline for the deliveries was not disclosed.

Some details: The move looks to boost the capacity of KFS’s fleet —currently including over 90 vessels — and support its expansion into regional and international markets. The agreement was made on the sidelines of the third day of the Make It in the Emirates forum.

About the companies: Liwa specializes in the design and construction of landing craft, tugboats, crew boats, and cargo vessels, according to its website. KFS is one of Abu Dhabi’s leading private sector ship owners and operators, with a primary focus on offshore oil and gas logistics service and fleet consisting of landing craft, desk supply vessels, anchor handling tugs, and tow tugs, according to its LinkedIn.

The latest shipbuilding ventures from UAE players: AD Ports Group’s shipping arm Noatum Maritime has inked a heads of terms agreement in January with Kazakhstan’s national shipping company KazMorTransFlot (KMTF) to build two container vessels tailor-made for operation in the Caspian Sea. Each vessel will have a capacity of over 500 TEUs. Noatum Maritime and the Arab Shipbuilding and Repair Yard Company also kicked off the operations of their JV ASRY Marine in April.

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