Dubai's ports ranked 13th among the world's top 30 ports last year, with a record of handling 4.19 million TEUs in 2002, up by 20 per cent from the previous year's 3.5 million TEUs, according to Ports C1 Yearbook.

The outlook for Dubai ports' growth this year is that it will be much higher, due to prospects of heavy traffic to Iraq because of the upcoming reconstruction of the battered country, officials predicted at a conference, 'Shipping – Meeting the Challenge', organised by the UAE branch of the Institute of Chartered Shipbrokers in Dubai.

Hong Kong, Singapore and Busan - all Asian ports - topped the list, while six Chinese ports made a solid placement among the top 30, a global ranking recognised by the global ports and shipping community.

Despite a phenomenal growth in container traffic witnessed by Chinese and Far Eastern ports, shipping officials here cautioned that the spread of the SARS virus could single-handedly bring catastrophic consequences, if allowed to continue.

The virus has already brought down the air traffic to a record low at some of the major airports in the Far East. The shipping industry, however, is about to face the consequences.

"Six Chinese ports have made it to the top 30 global ports last year, with most of them witnessing over 50 per cent growth in container traffic. The spread of SARS virus is threatening the growth of the Chinese ports that have witnessed such a strong increase in business," said Lawrence Fernandes, manager of Balaji Shipping Ltd, while speaking on 'Containerisation and Container Ships' at the conference.

The two-day conference was attended by over 150 delegates that addressed various aspects of the emerging trends in the shipping industry.

Jamal Majid bin Thaniah, managing director, Dubai Ports Authority (DPA), while inaugurating the event, said: "We find ourselves in an era in which the shipping industry must learn to adjust itself to the changing global environment.

This international seminar provides us all with the ideal forum to exchange knowledge, experiences and ideas so that we can achieve best business practices in the transportation industry.

"The theme of this seminar is an issue very close to the heart of DPA and reflects our continued commitment to improving performance and services to cater to the challenges our customers and we as port operators face as our region's maritime and transportation industry continues to grow.

"Indeed, meeting the challenge is the primary reason behind our massive expansion of Jebel Ali port."

Fernandes said the container market has seen a revival in the first quarter of 2003.

"Charter hires during the first quarter of this year has shown a 25 per cent rise, compared to the last quarter of 2002. Charter rates, which went down to the lowest after September 11, 2001, is witnessing a strong comeback.

"In March, 2002, the price of chartering a 3,500 TEU vessel was $10,300 per day, which rose to $20,250 per day, which is good news for chartered shipbrokers across the globe as well as the Gulf."