Dubai Port News

Vitol Bunkers said has extended its bunkering services to Jebel Ali—the largest container port in the Middle East—and to Dubai's Port Rashid Cruise Terminal, from July 2022.According to Vitol, the move will help it to address the supply requirements of strategic marine customers in key Middle Eastern locations.Vessels visiting Jebel Ali will have access to Vitol Bunkers’ marine products produced at the Vitol-owned FRCL refinery in Fujairah.  These include a range of marine fuel grades as well as bio-marine fuels for customers wishing to mitigate their carbon emissions.

Democratic Republic of Congo President Felix Tshisekedi on Monday launched the construction of the country's first deep-water port, a $1.2 billion project that has drawn criticism for being built on the edge of a protected wetlands.Banana Port, to be built by Dubai's port giant DP World, will border Congo's Mangrove Marine Park, a nature reserve that contains a variety of vulnerable or endangered plant and animal species.The port at Banana, a sandy spit of land at the mouth of Congo River, will process 322,000 containers per year, Congolese Minister of Industry Julien Paluku said on Twitter, p

Dubai-based port operator DP World says it has acquired additional assets in DP World Australia (DPWA), giving the firm a majority stake in its Australian terminals.The percentage of what has been acquired from Gateway Infrastructure Investments and other financial investors is still being finalized and subject to regulatory approval. However, it valued DPWA at an enterprise value of approximately AU$1.4 billion (US$ 997 million).Following the closure of the transaction, DP World Australia will become a consolidated entity within the DP World Group and is expected to be earnings neutral in the first full year of ownership. The acquisition is expected to close in Q1 2019.Corsair Infrastructure Partners (CIP)…

Djibouti is in talks with French shipping company CMA CGM to develop a new container terminal at an initial cost of $660 million as part of the tiny African country's bid to expand into a sea and air transport hub for the continent. Aboubakar Omar Hadi, chairman of the Djibouti Ports and Free Zone Authority (DPFZA), told Reuters on Tuesday that the authority hopes to award the concession in July. It was also prepared to buy out DP World's stake in an existing container terminal to end a row with the Dubai port operator and avoid arbitration, he said.

Royal Dutch Shell has sent a replacement cargo of liquefied natural gas (LNG) from the United States to Dubai, shipping data shows, after a diplomatic row disrupted typical trade routes from Qatar. Shell has a deal to supply the Dubai Supply Authority (DUSUP) with LNG which it typically sources from Qatar because of its proximity. But bans on Qatari vessels entering ports in the United Arab Emirates, imposed after top Arab powers severed diplomatic and transport links with Qatar on Monday, meant it had to source the LNG from elsewhere. The Maran Gas Amphipolis tanker, carrying around 163,500 cubic metres of LNG produced in the United States, was initially headed toward Kuwait's port of Mina Al-Ahmadi but made a U-turn on Wednesday to head for Dubai's port of Jebel Ali.

Istithmar World, DP World and the QE2 management announce the iconic QE2 is to have a permanent home at the heart of Port Rashid, the hub of cruising in the Middle East. The vessel will be moored next to the original cruise terminal at Port Rashid and converted into a 300 room luxury hotel, with top quality lifestyle facilities, while the terminal itself will be developed into a maritime museum. Once converted, the QE2 will once again display the ship’s collection of art works…

According to a Jan. 23 report from Bloomberg, DP World officials defended the Dubai port operator's finances, saying the company is under no pressure to raise cash even as a sister firm announced plans to seek new terms on its debt. According to the report, executives at the cargo handler said last month's move to slash its stake in Australian ports was solely a strategic decision meant to shift more emphasis to fast-growing emerging markets. DP World sold the bulk of its Australian businesses to a Citi investment fund in late December for $1.5b. (Source: Bloomberg)

As the largest Ship Repair facility in the Middle East, Dubai Drydocks, which made its home in the late 1970's, was built on the foundations of capitalizing on its geographical proximity to the major oil terminals in the Arabian Gulf. Designed to accommodate oil tankers with a capacity of up to one million tons dwt, the year 2003 marks the 20th anniversary of operations at Dubai Drydocks. The Yard's core business of ship repair is backed-up by conversions and newbuildings. Experience in the field of conversions has developed progressively over several years and an important milestone has just been passed with the successful completion of the conversion of the VLCC Mosocean into a Floating Production Storage and Offloading unit (FPSO), named the Xikomba.

During May, SMIT Salvage dealt with casualties in Japanese waters and in the Red Sea. On May 1, the 260,619 dwt tanker Front Tobago was making for Japan when her main engine failed while proceeding off the Ryuku Islands, Japan. This 1993-built VLCC was carrying 240,00 tons of crude. An inspection revealed that the tanker’s crankshaft was damaged. The owners awarded SMIT a contract on May 2. The SmitWijs Singapore was mobilized to tow the Front Tobago to an anchorage outside the Economic Exclusion Zone, off Taiwan. On arrival, the cargo was discharged by ship-to-ship transfer. SMIT then mobilized the tug De Yue to tow the vessel from Taiwan to Singapore. The vessel arrived on May 23.

Dubai's Jebel Ali port has awarded a 130 million dirhams ($35.4 million) contract to Belgium-based Dredging International to make the port accessible to "Post Panamax" super-container vessels, officials said on Tuesday. The channel work and related operation is expected to take a year. "To meet the needs of the international shipping community, the Dubai Port Authority has taken the decision to deepen the basin to 52 ft. (16 m) so that we can serve the new generation of vessels," said the executive chairman of Ports, Customs and Free Zone Corporation. Sulayem said work had started at Jebel Ali Port on Sunday to increase the depth alongside berths 16 and 17 and was due to be completed in a week. The port also plans to deepen and possibly widen its approach channel to 56 ft.