Work begins on Jebel Ali Port's Terminal 3

DP World Chairman Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem on Sunday welcomed progress on the expansion at Jebel Ali Port, which includes the brand new $850 million Terminal 3, saying it was crucial in supporting the growth of Dubai and the wider Middle East, Africa and Subcontinent region.

Bin Sulayem's comments came as he inspected the construction underway at Jebel Ali's Container Terminals 2 and 3, accompanied by Mohammed Ali Ahmed, Chief Operations Officer, DP World UAE Region, which are set to take total capacity at the port to 19 million TEU (twenty foot equivalent container units) by 2014.

The expansion of Terminal 2, which will add 1 million TEU capacity, is on schedule to open in the first half of 2013, with 60 per cent of construction work completed. Work has now also begun on the new 4 million TEU capacity Terminal 3, set to open in 2014.

Bin Sulayem said: "These expansion projects are part of the vision of Vice President and Prime Minister of UAE and Ruler of Dubai His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum for the future of Dubai and the UAE. We are building to ensure that Dubai and Jebel Ali Port continue to efficiently meet the needs of the shipping lines and traders serving the wider region of two billion people. Increasingly the lines are seeking economies of scale with new generation mega-ships, and we stand ready to handle these giants of the sea, reinforcing Dubai's role as the centre of trade in the region."

Bin Sulayem said: "We continue to be committed to expanding our terminals to match market demand and provide the quality services that our clients have come to expect from DP World."

The T2 expansion extends the quay wall 400 metres to 3,000 metres, allowing the simultaneous handling of six 15,000 TEU mega ships. Work on the quay wall is nearly finished, with 99 per cent of the quay wall blocks in place, 1,890 (70 per cent) of them underwater.

The new T3 will be one of the finest modern marine terminals in the world, with a quay length of 1,860 metres, a 70 hectare storage yard, and a draft of 17 metres.

The developments mean Jebel Ali Port will be able to handle ten of the next generation 18,000 TEU mega vessels at the same time - the only port in the region able to do so.

Once completed, the expansions will create more than 1,000 jobs directly.

In the first six months of 2012 DP World, UAE Region, handled in Jebel Ali 6.6 million TEU, 7.3 per cent ahead of the same period last year.

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