DP World announces $850 million expansion of Jebel Ali Port, UAE

06 Dec 2011 - Port Planning, Ports, Jebel Ali

• DP World to invest $850 million to expand Jebel Ali Port

• Expansion will add a further 4 million TEU to the port's capacity by 2014

DP World, the Dubai-based port operator, has announced ambitious plans to invest US$850 million in the expansion of the company’s flagship Port of Jebel Ali in the UAE.

The funds, to be spread over a period of three years, will see the port's capacity rise by an additional 4 million TEU per annum, resulting in the total capacity at Jebel Ali reaching 19 million TEU by 2014.

The expansion will see the upgrade of 1,860 meters of quayside and 70 hectares of yard from an existing general cargo berth into a new container terminal within the existing container port.

The new terminal will have a draft of 17 meters, enabling the terminal to handle the world’s largest container vessels planned for the future.

Funding for the project will be supplied from the company’s existing cash resources and cashflow, said DP World.

“Further investing in Jebel Ali, building a new container terminal as well as expanding the existing terminal, as we announced recently, will support the continued growth of Dubai and the UAE and enhance the country’s status as the trade centre of the Middle East,” said DP World’s Chairman, Sultan Ahmed Bin Sulayem.

“Over the past 40 years, our facilities have contributed significantly to the development of Dubai, the UAE and the wider region through the provision of efficient supply chain services. We remain steadfastly committed to continuing to meet the needs of the region’s markets,” he added.

In October 2011 DP World announced record container volumes in the UAE region for 2011, with growth of 11 percent so far this year, and over a million TEU per month being handled in the port.