Best Middle Eastern ports

DP World's Jebel Ali - Dubai, UAE.
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DP World Jebel

There can be no question that the mega terminal in Jebel Ali is the jewel in the crown of Middle Eastern port facilities.

By far the busiest and best-equipped port in the region, it has set new standards and paved the way for much of the development in the surrounding areas and associated maritime industry.

The port at Jebel Ali has the largest man-made harbour in the world, with more than 70 berths and extensive dry dock capability.

The proximity of the Jebel Ali Free Zone (established in 1980), has made the port a magnet and highly competitive port-of-choice for international businesses, who have continued to benefit from the increasing consumer and industrial demands of the flourishing emirate.

The container handling facilities are simply unrivalled in the region. The addition of mega gantry cranes received in 2005 and many more since (bringing the total to a staggering 45) are the largest of their kind in the world and the first of their type to be installed in the Middle East.
 

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Each of these cranes is capable of lifting two 40 foot or four 20 foot containers simultaneously.

For its outstanding performance figures, and world-leading vision DP World scooped the inaugural Supply Chain And Transport Award (SCATA) for Best Port Operator in 2007, winning over industry minds from across the entire freight forwarding industry.

The award recognised considerations such as cost competitiveness, facilitation of ancillary services, and timely and adequate investment in new infrastructure.

In 2007 DP World Jebel Ali grew more than 25%, reaching 9.9m TEU, just shy of the magic 10m mark, expected to be surpassed comfortably in 2008.

This was in large part due to a raft of new vessel calls, as well as the opening of the new second terminal at the port in the second half of last year.

"Last year we expanded the operations of our existing terminals, increasing capacity at key facilities and improving efficiency to help our customers manage their supply chains even more effectively," says Mohammed Sharaf, CEO, DP World.

Jebel Ali's container handling equipment list sets the region's leading terminal apart from the crowd and leaves the competition in its wake.