Abu Dhabi Petroleum Ports Operating Company (IRSHAD) was established on 14th of January, 1979 by Law No. 2/1979, of the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi His Highness Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, now President of United Arab Emirates, The Company is fully owned by Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC).

IRSHAD was established to provide specialized marine services to the petroleum port of Jebel Dhanna and other petroleum and industrial ports in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi to the highest quality, safety and management standards. It also provides maintenance to the offshore loading terminals, sub-sea equipment, and navigation aids, as well as participating in firefighting and Oil Spill response activities at the ports.

IRSHAD began by operating the Jebel Dhanna petroleum port on behalf of ADCO. IRSHAD has developed rapidly and, within the first decade of its existence, became the exclusive operator of all of the hydrocarbon Ports in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi. IRSHAD has recently taken a route to extend its activities to include Operating a new Fast Ferry Boats Terminal to transport workforce to oil fields from Abu Dhabi Municipality port to ZADCO artificial islands as well as to provide marine services at ADCO's new Terminal in Fujairah.

In order to fulfill its duties, IRSHAD owns and operates a total of 53 vessels of various types and capabilities. The fleet is spread to serve ADNOC-Group Companies namely, ADCO (Fujairah), ADCO (Jebel Dhanna), ZADCO, ADMA, ADOC, TAKREER, GASCO, ADGAS, FERTIL and BOROUGE. In addition to the provisions of Diving and Maintenance services, IRSHAD is considered the authority on diving operations that the ADNOC-Group Companies can rely upon.

In Addition to the provisions of diving and maintenance services, IRSHAD is considered the authority on diving operations that the ADNOC group companies rely upon IRSHAD is committed to maintaining the highest quality and safety standards. IRSHAD was certified in May 2001 under the International Safety Management Code (ISM Code). Each of its vessels above 300 GT is issued with an individual Safety Management Certificate to conform its compliance to the International Marine Standards. The certification is maintained by periodical internal and external audits by Lloyds Register.

In November 2004, the Company Quality Management System was certified under International Organization for Standardization - ISO 9001-2000; the standard is maintained by periodical internal and external audits conducted by Lloyds Register Quality Assurance (LRQA). Due to continuous improvement and enhancement of the Quality Management System the Company was accredited by Lloyds under ISO-9001:2008 Standards in May 2010.

International Memberships / contributions

• The 'International Marine Contractors Association' (IMCA)
• The 'International Tug Masters Association'. IRSHAD participated actively in the creation of this International Association and funded the life membership of IRSHAD Tug Masters
• Oil Companies International Marine Forum (OCIMF)