DP World moves 1 million TEUs via land corridors from UAE’s east coast
Cargo arrives at ports outside the Strait of Hormuz before being transported through customs-controlled corridors to Jebel Ali for clearance, storage and distribution.
UAE – DP World has moved more than 1 million TEUs from UAE east coast ports to Jebel Ali by road and rail between March and October 2026.
DP World has also advanced the phased opening of its two Fujairah terminals to 18-24 months, down from 24-30 months, according to Shehab Mohamad Aljasmi, Chief Commercial Officer for Ports and Terminals at DP World GCC.
Around 3,500 TEUs move through the land corridors each day. Cargo arrives at ports outside the Strait of Hormuz before being transported through customs-controlled corridors to Jebel Ali for clearance, storage and distribution.
Corridor infrastructure and terminal expansion
Additional corridors run through Sohar and Duqm in Oman, as well as through Jeddah. The Jebel Ali Rail Terminal opened during the period, and a 100,000-square-metre empty-container depot in Al Awir eased pressure on the port’s operations.
Dubai Customs and Oman Customs activated the Green Corridor within 72 hours, allowing containers to travel in sealed trucks under customs control and facilitating trade worth around AED 34 billion (US$9.3 billion) between 1 March and 30 June.
Aljasmi said Jebel Ali Port remained open and operational, with disruptions since the crisis began limited to six hours.
The port connects to more than 80 weekly services reaching 150 ports, with annual capacity of 19.4 million TEUs.
The Fujairah development represents an investment of approximately AED 2.5 billion (US$681 million) over several years.
Meanwhile, Al Rugaylat will handle around 2.5 million TEUs annually alongside 1.7 million tonnes of general cargo and 190,000 Car Equivalent Units. Dibba will add up to 3.6 million tonnes of general cargo capacity.
Once operational, the terminals will raise DP World’s UAE container capacity from 19.4 million to almost 22 million TEUs.
Free zone performance and regional pipeline
The South Container Terminal at Jeddah Islamic Port recorded record throughput in July and October 2026, following an expansion that increased annual capacity to 4 million TEUs.
DP World will open its US$250 million Jeddah Logistics Park in the first quarter of 2027, with development continuing within the Al Rawdah Special Economic Zone near the Oman-UAE border.
Finally, Aljasmi said that meetings with nine shipping lines in Asia indicated interest in returning to Jebel Ali, with carrier feedback suggesting that services and volumes could recover within one to three months of safe passage through the Strait being restored, depending on vessel and network repositioning.
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