Jebel Ali Port ready to receive mega container ships

The new terminal has a quay of 1,200 meters long, with a handling capacity of 2.5 million TEU's. The work also involved deepening of the channel up to 17 meters, enabling Jebel Ali Port to receive mega-size new generation vessels.

The ships will start to call at the new terminal from the first week of August.

The terminal is part of DP World's ambitious plan to develop a mega container terminal that will eventually have a 40-kilometer quay and a port area spread over 2,300 hectares. The development of this super project will be carried out in 15 stages between now and 2030.

Sultan Ahmed Bin Sulayem, Chairman of Dubai World and DP World, who visited the new terminal on Wednesday, said:

'Jebel Ali Port is pivotal to the operations of DP World and our long-term expansion plans reflect this adequately. We also consider it as a very important base for grooming our future management talent.'

'It is with this strategic goal in mind that we are pleased to announce our decision to establish a Marine Academy under the supervision of specialists in all fields of the industry, so as to keep pace with the giant expansions we are undertaking in different parts of the world.'

'We are determined to close the gap between supply and demand in our human assets requirement. The management graduates of this Academy will be crucial to our operations in DP World's 42 terminals spread across 22 countries.'

Stage 1 (which consists of phases A and B) of the Mega Max terminal covers an area of 180 hectares (110 hectares for phase A and 70 for phase B), while the total quay length will be 2,600 meters (1,200 meters under part A and 1,400 meters under part B).

The terminal's total handling capacity will be 5.5 million TEU's per year when fully completed.

Mohammed Al Muallem, the Managing Director, DP World-UAE, said:

'The new Mega Max container terminal provides Jebel Ali Port with the strength required to take on fierce regional and global competition, and remain the hub and the port of choice in the region. The Port's long-term expansion project, which will be executed in 15 stages, will enable us to accommodate the biggest of new generation mega container ships capable of carrying up to 13,000 TEU's and which other ports in the region may not be able to service.'

DP World-UAE has embarked on its expansion project in anticipation of the introduction of ultra-large container vessels by the main shipping lines in the coming years. The overall development of the port will be paced out according to market requirements dictated by the industry.

Mr Al Muallem said:

'The new terminal, which will receive ships in the first week of August, will keep us ahead of our competitors. Investing in ports is a long term decision, and that is why we have adopted a proactive strategy, aimed at keeping pace with developments in the global sea shipping industry.'

The new terminal is equipped with state-of-the-art equipment and machinery, including a mega crane capable of lifting two 40-foot containers or four 20-foot containers in one move from ship to quay or quay to ship. In addition, it has modern yard gantry cranes on rails.

The advanced Navis Sparks 3.6 operational system will be used in the terminal, which will be equipped with an automated gate access system developed by an American-based company, in addition to introducing the most sophisticated security system in the world, to enhance the security capabilities within the port facilities.