While DP World has sped up developments to its east coast pipeline following the Strait of Hormuz closure, Jebel Ali’s status as major port will not be replaced, its CEO said.
DP World, the Dubai-based multinational logistics company, said in July it will develop two terminals on the country’s east coast – the Al Rugaylat container and Dibba General Cargo Terminal – after signing a 50-year concession with Fujairah Ports Authority.
Ahmad Yousef Al-Hassan, chief executive officer and managing director for the GCC, said on Tuesday that the east coast terminals will only serve as “an alternative” to Jebel Ali, rather than replace it.
“Fujairah is never a replacement or a backup only for Jebel Ali,” he told reporters during a media briefing, adding that replicating a port of Jebel Ali’s scale and capacity can take another 40-50 years.
Jebel Ali is the world’s largest man-made harbour and connects with 150 ports globally, capable of handling 19.4 million Twenty-foot Equivalent Units (TEUs) annually.
Al Rugaylat is estimated to handle up to 2.5 million TEUs annually and1.7 million tons of general cargo and 190,000 Car Equivalent Units (CEUs), while Dibba will add up to 3.6 million tons of annual general cargo capacity.
Both terminals are expected to be operational within the next 18-24 months, Al-Hassan said.
Six hours of closure
Since the start of the war, which began on February 28, Jebel Ali Port has been closed for only six hours and has remained fully operational since, the CEO said. He also called the war a “short-term diversion” and is confident that once the Strait of Hormuz reopens, Jebel Ali will remain DP World’s customers’ port of call.
“Jebel Ali has been fully operational from day one. We closed only six hours since the start of the war. And we strongly believe in the recovery once the Strait is open,” he said.
In proximity to the port is the Jebel Ali Free Zone (Jafza), where close to 12,000 companies have set up. Al-Hassan said operations have been resilient in the past eight months due to the free zone, in addition to DP World’s scale and connectivity.
DP World’s revenues rose 13.1 per cent to $12.7 billion in the first half of 2026, with its strong global network allowing it to circumvent the challenges posed by the war.
Growth across its logistics, marine Services and international ports and terminals portfolio helped offset lower activity at Jebel Ali. Excluding Jebel Ali, container volumes increased 6.5 per cent on a like-for-like basis, with growth across Africa, Asia Pacific, Europe and the Americas.
Source: Khaleej Times