The Port of Jebel Ali in Dubai is ready to take over the full cargo business of Port Rashid following the completion of Phase 1 works to expand Terminal 2 in February.
According to comments made by a senior official at DP World, business at the 36-year-old Port of Rashid is being scaled down because DP World has moved its general and non-containerised cargo handling operations to its flagship facility at Jebel Ali Port, reports the Khaleej Times.
"Following requests from the customers to move to new container terminal at Jebel Ali, most of the containerised cargo handled at Port Rashid has already moved to Jebel Ali Port," said an unnamed official.
"Staff and equipment associated with general and non-containerised cargo handling similarly relocated to Jebel Ali Port by the end of March," he said.
Port Rashid's container throughput amounted to 800,000 TEU in 2007, down from 1.2 million TEU in 2006.
In January this year it was announced that Jebel Ali Port would be redeveloped and all cargo operations will be moved to the facility this year. At present, Phase 2 of the Terminal 2 expansion project is underway at Jebel Ali port and is scheduled to be finished in early 2009.
Mohammed Al Muallem, senior vice-president and managing director at DP World-UAE, was quoted as saying: "The project will bring one million TEU capacity in August this year. Another one million TEU will be available in October. Phase 2-expansion project will be completed in February 2009 when another one million TEU will be added to the port's capacity."
The expansion works will add 2,500 metres of quay length with a draft alongside of 17 metres at Jebel Ali Port to enable the port to accommodate mega box ships of more than 12,000 TEU.
The Terminal 2-expansion project spreads over more than 1,400,000 square metres. The facility will be equipped with seven berths and boost a total capacity of five million TEU, raising the total box handling capacity at Jebel Ali Port to 14-15 million TEU. Terminal 2 will be used for import, export and transshipment cargo.
DP World officially began operations at Phase 1 of Terminal 2 in August last year. Phase 1, which adds three more berths, increases the port's capacity by two million to 11 million TEU, the report said.
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