Dubai: The Dubai Maritime City has completed a major infrastructure upgrade to scale up its ship-handling capacity to 1,000 vessels a year.
The upgrades include the retrofit of the cluster's ship lifts, the introduction of new ship cradles, and the activation of new substations and shore power supplies. These will equip Dubai Maritime City with an upgraded 6,000-tonne and 3,000-tonne ship lifts and more than doubles its ship handling capacity from 400 vessels a year. These would in turn support 'more complex shipbuilding and repair projects'.
"By significantly increasing our vessel handling capacity, the enhanced infrastructure will attract more international shipbuilding and repair companies," said Abdulla Bin Damithan, CEO & Managing Director, DP World GCC. This will 'stimulate growth in the maritime sector, reinforcing Dubai’s status as a leading destination for maritime excellence'.
Dubai Maritime City, which covers 249 hectares, saw docking of 296 vessels so far this year, with a 16% increase in dry berth occupancy from 2023.
In addition to the ship lift upgrades, DMC signed an EPC deal for four sets of ship cradles, and inaugurated the first two sets. These are to accommodate vessels of up to 6,000 tonnes and 140 metres long. This addition is expected to further increase docking capacity by 100 vessels per year.
The Maritime City has also been adding to its mixed-use elements, including the hosting of signature residential projects.
