DP World moves 500,000 TEUs overland across GCC amid shipping disruption

Dubai: DP World has moved 500,000 twenty-foot equivalent units across the GCC by road and rail since March, giving businesses additional ways to move goods through the region during disruption to shipping routes.

The logistics group’s inland network is now supporting around 3,000 truck movements a day, while another 700 trucks have been added to increase cross-border and domestic freight capacity.

The figures point to growing use of overland routes by cargo owners and shipping lines seeking alternatives when established maritime routes face disruption.

“Moving half a million TEUs overland shows the scale, resilience and flexibility of our network beyond the terminal gates. Our extensive inland logistics capabilities give shipping lines and cargo owners more routing options and more certainty in how they move goods through the region, helping them adapt quickly when conditions change,” Ahmad Yousef Al-Hassan, CEO and MD of DP World GCC, said.

More routes for cargo across the region

DP World has opened fast-track bonded corridors connecting east coast gateways directly with Jebel Ali in recent months, while also establishing a bonded corridor from Sohar in Oman.

The company has also used Red Sea routing options through the South Container Terminal at Jeddah Islamic Port, adding another route for goods moving across its regional network.

The expansion gives shipping lines and cargo owners more options for moving freight between ports and inland destinations when conditions affect conventional shipping routes.

New Dubai depot moves containers closer to customers

DP World has also opened a 100,000-square-metre inland empty container depot in Al Awir, Dubai, adding storage and release capacity away from Jebel Ali Port.

The facility allows shipping lines and logistics operators to pick up, drop off and reposition empty containers across Dubai, Sharjah and the Northern Emirates without relying solely on movements through the port.

Located with direct access to Emirates Road, the depot connects with major logistics and industrial areas across the UAE and could also support future rail-based container movements through Etihad Rail.

It can handle 20-foot, 40-foot and 45-foot empty containers and offers inspection, condition reporting and shipping line inventory management services.

“By moving empty container storage and handling closer to customers, we can reduce unnecessary movements to the port and make it easier for shipping lines and logistics companies to access and reposition equipment. It is another way we are connecting our port services, logistics capability and inland infrastructure into one integrated solution to make cargo flows more efficient,” Raveen Guliani, COO - Logistics, DP World GCC, said.

The Al Awir depot forms part of DP World’s wider expansion of inland logistics capacity, combining port services with road, rail, storage and cross-border freight options across the region.