DP World Expands Automotive Capacity at Jebel Ali

By Simon West

DP World has increased automotive capacity at Jebel Ali Port in Dubai with the opening of a 2.6 million square foot vehicle storage yard at Terminal 4.

The transfer of roll-on, roll-off (RoRo) operations from Terminal 1 to the new purpose-built zone at T4 will improve berth availability, shorten turnaround times and free up space to meet rising demand, the port operator said.

The expansion, which includes an 800-metre quay capable of handling up to three RoRo vessels at once, has added 13,000 car equivalent units (CEUs), boosting total capacity by 21% to 75,000 CEUs.

“Dubai is scaling up its role as a global automotive trade hub and this expansion gives car manufacturers, dealers and logistics providers faster, more reliable access to key markets across the Middle East, Africa and beyond,” said Abdulla Bin Damithan, CEO and managing director, DP World GCC.

The upgrade comes amid robust growth in vehicle volumes, with the Middle East’s busiest port handling 545,000 vehicles in the first half of 2025, up by 28% from a year earlier. Imports, mainly from China, Japan, Thailand, India and South Korea, accounted for 65% of the total.

The new storage yard is part of DP World’s wider automotive strategy, it said, which also includes plans for a 20 million square foot advanced car market in Dubai, slated to be world’s largest. The projects align with Dubai’s D33 plan to double its economy by 2033 and strengthen its position as a global logistics hub.

DP World will be exhibiting at Breakbulk Americas 2025.

PHOTO: RoRo operations at Jebel Ali. CREDIT: DP World