ABU DHABI - AD Ports Group and Saab UAE, a leading defence and security company based in Abu Dhabi’s Tawazun Industrial Park, have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to establish a strategic cooperative relationship, which will see both entities collaborate on develping maritime surveillance solutions and sensors.

Under the agreement, AD Ports Group will provide access to relevant testing sites, offering necessary infrastructure and operational feedback to optimise the development process. Saab UAE will build on its wide-ranging maritime traffic management expertise to bring new industry standards and next-generation maritime surveillance technology to market.

Othman Al Khouri, Executive Director of Corporate Authority of AD Ports Group, said, “Collaborating with Saab will allow us to explore innovative surveillance solutions and contribute to the overall safety of our ports.

“We also see significant potential for improving port and maritime security systems, effectively enhancing the safety and security performance of trade, logistics, and ports in Abu Dhabi and beyond.”

Anna-Karin Rosén, Managing Director of Saab in the UAE, said, “This MoU marks a significant step forward in our commitment to provide our customers with world-class security and surveillance solutions. This partnership has the potential to revolutionise vessel traffic management and port operations, setting new industry standards for efficiency and safety.”

She added, “Our decades-long operations here in the UAE are growing from strength to strength. Today, to underpin growth in the country’s defence and security ecosystem, we are proud to have expanded our UAE mandate to include an R&D and manufacturing facility based in Abu Dhabi.”

Saab is an early investor in the UAE having started its operations in the 1980s. Using its unrivalled innovation, expertise, and capabilities, Saab UAE aims to create world-class Emirati defence and security solutions, for national needs as well as the global market.