UAE ports hasten to expand to meet rising demand

Ports in the United Arab Emirates are forecasting record throughputs this year as demand for construction materials, foodstuffs and car imports surge on the back of the region's economic boom.

At the Mina Zayed Port in Abu Dhabi, over the first seven months of the year, commodity imports soared by 69 percent, according to the operator Abu Dhabi Terminals. It noted that port operators across the UAE are scrambling to upgrade equipment and facilities to keep abreast of the frantic pace of regional growth. But rising demand has led to delays for containerships waiting to enter DP World's Jebel Ali terminals. From January to July 2008, steel and iron imports to Abu Dhabi swelled by 76 percent to 1.2 million tonnes, while imports of plywood for construction skyrocketed 351 percent to 43,500 tonnes. "The growth in imports has exceeded our expectations," said Abu Dhabi Terminals CEO Mohammed al Mannaei, adding that 80 percent of goods arriving into the Emirates come by sea. At Jebel Ali, container volumes rose 22 percent in the first half of the year, prompting DP World to boost annual container handling capacity by one million moves in the span of ten days last month through the installation of new gantry cranes and other equipment. It is a similar picture at Gulftainer, which operates Sharjah's terminals on the Arabian Gulf and on the east coast of the country in Khor Fakkan. It is said to be in the middle of "very significant" investments to upgrade its facilities.
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