Jebel Ali Port expansion on-course
Terminal 2 has 60% of construction work completed, will open in H1 2013
Jebel Ali Port’s expansion of its capacity is on course, with the expansion of Terminal 2 on schedule to open in the first half of 2013, with 60% of construction work completed, it was announced on Sunday.
DP World chairman, Sultan Ahmed Bin Sulayem visited the construction currently underway at Jebel Ali’s Container Terminals 2 and 3. These expansions are set to take total capacity at the port up to 19 million TEU by 2014.
“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.
Work has begun on the 4 million TEU capacity Terminal 3, which will cost $850m. It is set to open in 2014. The project will have a quay length of 1,860m and a 70 hectare storage yard, along with a draft of 17m.
These developments mean that Jebel Ali Port will be able to handle ten of the next generation 18,000TEU mega-vessels at one time, the only port in the region to do so.
“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,” said Bin Sulayem.
The T2 expansion extends the quay wall 400 metres to 3000 metres, allowing the simultaneous handling of six 15000 TEU mega ships. Work on the quay wall is nearly finished, with 99% of the quay wall blocks in place, 1890 (70%) of them underwater, he added.
Once completed, the expansions will create more than 1,000 jobs directly.
