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Part one of our special series on the 40 year history of logistics in the UAE: Ports
India, Iran, Africa and the Middle East. The UAE has a proud history as a maritime trading nation. Today, that reach has been globalised with Dubai in particular, bridging the trade gap between the east and west. Reaching far beyond the old trading partners, the region caters to every nationality as goods are imported and re-exported for distribution to the Middle East, Africa and the rest of the world.
Jebel Ali, Port Rashid, Khorfakkan, through to Al Hamriya, have been the economic powerhouses of the UAE and the upcoming Khalifa Port at Abu Dhabi has the size and scope to leverage this advantage further.
As one of the largest ports in the world, Jebel Ali, built in 1976 and completed in 1979, has become one of the great success stories of the UAE maritime industry. This year the port facility will be increased to deal with growing world trade following the announcement that DP World will construct a 400 metre quay extension, increasing the capacity at the facility by 1 million TEU to 15 million TEU.
The expansion, which is expected to be concluded by the end of 2012, will extend the berth length at Jebel Ali Container Terminal Two to 3000 metres. This will permit Jebel Ali to handle up to six vessels of 15,000 TEU simultaneously, improving efficiencies and reducing turnaround times.
Future upgrades to Al Hamriya and the completion of Port Khalifa will further strengthen the UAE’s maritime dominance, and DP World’s investment in the London Gateway Project illustrates how the success of the local maritime industry is being exported to the world. But it hasn’t always been this way.
The UAE’s growth as an international trading centre can be traced back to the early 1900s when Dubai was declared a free port and cargoes began to move freely through Dubai Creek and also Khan Creek in neighbouring Sharjah. Deep sea merchant ships began to anchor offshore and discharge their cargoes of silk, spices and hardware onto barges which were in turn unloaded in customs secured areas in Dubai and Khan Creek’s.
Dubai Creek assumed increasing importance for Dubai’s trade, but silting meant the Creek became increasingly difficult to navigate requiring dredging in 1959 and again in the 1970s. Still the discharge process remained slow and cumbersome, so a dockside crane was bought from Scotland to improve efficiency. At the time it was the only mechanical means for discharging barges, although mobile cranes were later used in increasing numbers.
Upon unloading, basic warehouses provided protection for selected cargoes, but most were simply stored on sand areas awaiting collection by the consignee. Damaged goods were put into a dedicated damaged goods shed, of which, most were never collected.
From the waterside, consignees moved their cargoes to their Godowns – usually a small lock up and occasionally a warehouse, built from steel piping and corrugated aluminium sheeting. Moving goods was usually undertaken by a donkey cart, or sometimes a human-being pulled hand cart. If the consignee was fortunate enough, they may have had access to a pickup truck. Cargoes were moved to Diera-side where they were sold and re-exported in dhows around the region and in season, this trade stretched as far as East Africa.
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FEATURED COMMENT
Write up from Jon Cuthert is amazing. Well said about the ancient beginning upto the most modern achievement in the hist