DUBAI, 11th November, 2026 (WAM) -- DP World has moved more than one million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) from UAE east coast ports to Jebel Ali and domestic markets by road and rail between the first week of March and the end of October, while accelerating the targeted phased opening of its two Fujairah terminals to 18–24 months from an earlier estimate of 24–30 months.
Shehab Mohamad Aljasmi, Chief Commercial Officer, Ports & Terminals, DP World GCC, said during a media briefing that the trucking network had been built from the ground up and now comprises more than 3,000 trucks managed and operated by the company, including 700 owned by DP World. Around 3,500 TEUs are moving through the land corridors each day.
He explained that cargo arrives at ports outside the Strait of Hormuz before being transported through customs-controlled corridors to Jebel Ali for clearance, storage and distribution.
Additional solutions include corridors through Sohar and Duqm in the Sultanate of Oman, as well as connectivity through Jeddah, providing alternative routes into the UAE and wider Gulf markets.
Aljasmi highlighted the opening of the Jebel Ali Rail Terminal and said the 100,000-square-metre empty-container depot in Al Awir had helped ease operational pressure on the port.
He said the experience had demonstrated the importance of accelerating cross-border rail connectivity and converting contingency arrangements into ready-to-activate plans.
Aljasmi said Jebel Ali Port had remained open and operational, with disruption since the beginning of the crisis limited to just six hours.
The port is connected to more than 80 weekly services reaching 150 ports worldwide and has annual container-handling capacity of 19.4 million TEUs. It handled 15.6 million TEUs in 2025, while its origin-and-destination cargo has recorded annual growth since 2020.
He added that port teams had maintained equipment and operational readiness over the past nine months in preparation for the full return of maritime services.
Meetings with nine shipping lines in Asia showed interest in returning to Jebel Ali, he said, adding that feedback from carriers indicated that services and volumes could recover within one to three months of the restoration of safe passage through the Strait, depending on how quickly vessels and networks can be repositioned.
Feeder services from India and Pakistan, together with road and rail solutions, continue to support cargo flows and connect customers with markets, Aljasmi said.
On Jebel Ali Free Zone (Jafza), he said it hosts more than 12,000 companies across approximately 57 square kilometres, providing a base for imports, exports, re-exports and value-added activities.
Jafza maintained occupancy above 90 percent across its various asset classes, with land occupancy at 94 percent and warehouses at 99 percent, while office occupancy reached its highest level in a decade.
Aljasmi said Jafza attracted more than AED1 billion in new investments during the first six months of the year.
He said DP World is operating under a 50-year concession to develop the Al Rugaylat container and multi-purpose terminal and the Dibba General Cargo terminal on the UAE's east coast.
Development of the two terminals represents an investment of around AED2.5 billion over several years and will be implemented in phases according to demand.
Aljasmi said the targeted start of phased operations had been brought forward to 18–24 months, compared with the previous estimate of 24–30 months.
Al Rugaylat, near Fujairah International Airport, will have capacity to handle around 2.5 million TEUs annually, alongside 1.7 million tonnes of general cargo and 190,000 Car Equivalent Units (CEUs).
Dibba will add capacity of up to 3.6 million tonnes of general cargo annually, significantly expanding general cargo and roll-on/roll-off capabilities.
Once operational, the terminals will increase DP World's total container-handling capacity in the UAE from 19.4 million to almost 22 million TEUs.
Al Rugaylat will provide a deep-water trade gateway capable of accommodating the latest generation of Ultra Large Container Vessels, while both terminals will be connected to Jebel Ali and Jafza through DP World's inland logistics network.
Aljasmi said the terminals form part of an integrated UAE port network in which cargo can use the gateway best suited to its destination and customer requirements.
He said the strategy is designed for the long term, irrespective of whether traffic through the Strait is fully open or disrupted.
The development is expected to support further investment, employment and long-term economic activity in Fujairah while improving the efficiency of cargo movements between ports, logistics hubs and end markets.
On DP World's regional network, Aljasmi said the South Container Terminal at Jeddah Islamic Port recorded record throughput levels in July and October 2026 following four to five years of expansion investment that increased its annual capacity to 4 million TEUs.
DP World is also preparing to open its US$250 million Jeddah Logistics Park in the first quarter of 2027, while development continues on the Al Rawdah Special Economic Zone near the Oman-UAE border to strengthen cross-border connectivity and customer options.
He affirmed that DP World had not suspended any of its major regional investment projects and continues developing its network of ports, logistics services and economic zones to strengthen connectivity and resilience.
Aljasmi said Etihad Rail had helped connect Jebel Ali to the UAE national railway network, enabling some cargo movements to shift from road to rail where possible.
Dubai Customs and Oman Customs also activated the Green Corridor within 72 hours, allowing containers to move directly to Jebel Ali in sealed trucks under customs control.
The Green Corridor facilitated trade flows worth around AED34 billion between 1st March and 30th June.
Aljasmi said future priorities include pre-agreed protocols, pre-arrival exchange of cargo data and permanent cross-border links to enable faster responses while maintaining secure and seamless trade flows.