Jebel Ali New Terminal Extension Opened, Up & Running
DP World Chairman welcomes mega-vessel to Jebel Ali port's new 1 million TEU Terminal 2 expansion.
HE Sultan Ahmed Bin Sulayem, Chairman, DP World, officially opened the new extension to Container Terminal 2 (T2) at flagship Jebel Ali Port, welcoming one of the largest container ships afloat, the MSC La Spezia. A red carpet welcome was given to the 366-metre long vessel, which has 14,000 TEU (twenty-foot equivalent container units) capacity.
The expansion adds 1 million TEU to take capacity at Jebel Ali Port to 15 million TEU, extending the T2 quay wall by 400 metres to 3,000 metres. This allows the simultaneous handling of six mega ships. Together with Container Terminal 3, which is now under construction, Jebel Ali Port will reach 19 million TEU capacity by 2014 and will be able to handle 10 of the giant new generation vessels at the same time – the only port in the region able to do so.
During a quay-side ceremony, HE Bin Sulayem presented the ship’s master, Captain Dirk Radig, and Nigel Fernando, Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) General Manager, with a commemorative gift to mark the occasion. The ceremony was also attended by HE Jamal Majid Bin Thaniah, Vice Chairman, Mohammed Sharaf, Group Chief Executive Officer, Mohammed Al Muallem, Senior Vice President and Managing Director, DP World, UAE Region and other senior DP World officials.