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Due to near-capacity traffic, Jebel Ali Port, the UAE's largest container terminal, is currently experiencing heavy delays for ships seeking to offload cargo, with some smaller vessels waiting as long as 90 hours. DP World, which manages Jebel Ali, has confirmed that the port has been "under some pressure", but is expecting operations to return to normal soon. The delays have affected ships carrying goods from Asia and Europe to offload in the Dubai port, which acts as a gateway for the country's road, air and sea transportation network. The congestion has caused a slowdown of goods reaching Sharjah and Abu Dhabi ports through smaller feeder vessels from Jebel Ali Port. According to officials, volume at Abu Dhabi's Mina Zayed Port was reduced 17 per cent in July because of the problems at Jebel Ali Port. According to reports, the delays have arisen because the port is operating at close to full capacity. |
Mainline vessels, the large ships that can carry up to 8,000 containers at a time, are having to wait between 24 to 30 hours to offload their goods at Jebel Ali. Smaller craft, called feeder vessels, are having to wait even longer, as much as 90 hours.
The delays are also thought to have impacted the sea-air cargo trade, in which goods from Asia are offloaded from ships in Jebel Ali to be flown to their final destinations in Europe.