DP World - UAE records 19% growth in 2007

A substantial increase in throughput has also been recorded at Dubai's two ports, Jebel Ali and Port Rashid, showing a growth of 20 percent compared with 2006, to reach 10.7 million TEUs. Jebel Ali port operations alone grew by more than 25%, with the port handling over 9.9 million TEUs, compared with the volume handled throughout 2006.

Commenting on the impressive growth, Mohammed Al Muallem, Senior Vice President and Managing Director, DP World - UAE, said: "The growth we realised in 2007 was due to a number of factors, the most prominent of which was the increase in trade activity, with a corresponding increase in exports, imports and re-exports. Naturally, this resulted in buoyant growth."

"We have seen continued rapid growth in volumes at Jebel Ali since we first established the facility," he said. "Our determination to meet our customers' expanding needs has driven us to continuously upgrade our infrastructure, increasing the capacity of the terminal yards and supplying them with modern machinery to efficiently handle our customers' cargo.

"The opening of the new container terminal (T-2) at DP World Jebel Ali in August last year has contributed to a substantial increase in our handling capacity. The terminal is able to provide the regular, efficient services required by the new generation mega-sized vessels, and this is a competitive differentiator for our flagship terminal,"

he added.

Mr Al Muallem said that the ambition to expand and determination to provide quality services that drive DP World's UAE region are an integral part of Dubai's overall vision.

DP World - UAE was recently awarded a "Recognised for Excellence" 5-star rating by EFQM, the European Foundation for Quality Management, a prominent international body that assesses the performance of companies and their commitment to quality standards.