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While DP World handled 53.6 million teu across its global portfolio of container terminals in the first nine months of 2018, with container volumes growing 3.7% on a like-for-like basis, throughput at its flagship Jebel Ali port in Dubai have dipped, recent figures show. UAE traffic was 11.3 million teu over the first 9 months of this year, a decline of just over 2% compared with the same period in 2017. The third quarter drop in volume was particularly sharp, at 6.7%, with performance at Jebel Ali’s container terminals being affected by macroeconomic factors, as well as a decision by DP World to focus more on higher margin cargo.
Group Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Sultan Ahmed Bin Sulayem, said the company would continue to concentrate its efforts on securing better earning cargo, at the expense of lower margin traffic flows. He added: “While the near-term volume outlook in Jebel Ali remains challenging, we have taken measures to maintain profitability.”
DP World recently played host to the Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of The Executive Council, H.H. Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, who visited Jebel Ali port, accompanied by Secretary General of The Executive Council of Dubai, H.E. Abdulla Al Basti. H.H Sheikh Hamdan toured facilities at Jebel Ali and was briefed about the new technologies being deployed to enhance efficiency at the port.
His Highness started his tour with a visit to Terminal 3, where Bin Sulayem briefed him about the various programmes offered by the company to train and qualify young Emiratis. His Highness also inspected the central control room that oversees the operations of DP World’s 78 marine and inland terminals.
