Freight News, Logistics, Sea


DP World breaks the 100m TEU barrier

[ January 8, 2025   //   ]

DP World has surpassed 100 million TEUs of annual container handling capacity the world, following $11 billion in strategic investments and infrastructure development over the last decade.

Over the past 10 years, DP World’s capacity has grown 33% from 75.6 million TEU in 2014, driven primarily by expansions, greenfield developments and acquisitions

The company’s global gross container handling capacity rose by 5% in the last 12 months, and it now has a 9.2% share of the global container market.

Group chairman and chief executive, Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem, said: “Crossing the 100 million TEU mark is a momentous milestone in our journey, which began 45 years ago. This achievement reflects our commitment to investing in world-class logistics infrastructure to make trade flow. We are confident that the market will continue to grow in the years ahead and we will have the capacity to service it.

“Through our decades of experience operating in some of the most dynamic markets in the world, we have gained a deep understanding of every aspect of the complex global supply chain. This allows us to build customised solutions where others can only see obstacles.”

Chief operating officer, ports and terminals, Tiemen Meester, added: “Reaching such an impressive milestone is significant for us, but it’s what that figure represents in terms of the flow of global trade and what it has enabled in the markets we have invested in that is the really exciting part.

“Over the last 20 years we have invested in ports and terminals across the world, often in less traditional and underdeveloped trade markets, where our socio-economic impact has been significant. One of the major highlights of 2024 has been our takeover of the Dar es Salaam facility, which has not been developed since the 1950s, with vessel waiting times of sometimes more than a month. Our work there in the last six months has almost eradicated that issue and the future looks a lot brighter for Tanzanian trade.”

This year also marks 45 years of Jebel Ali Port in Dubai, 40 years of the Jebel Ali Freezone, and 20 years since the formation of DP World itself.

Investment highlights for the company include the addition of a $450 million fourth berth at London Gateway, creating room for an additional 900,000 TEUs a year. Further investments by the end of the decade will further increase capacity at the port which currently handles approximately nearly 2 million TEU annually.

At the Port of Callao in Peru, DP World completed a $400 million expansion project in June 2024, doubling the length of the pier and boosting container handling capacity at the South Terminal by 80% from 1.5 million to 2.7 million TEUs a year.

At the International Container Transshipment Terminal in Cochin, India DP World introduced new ship-to-shore cranes, e-RTGs, and expanded yard space, boosting total capacity to some 1.4 million TEUs a year.

It also made a €130m investment in Constanta, Romania including a terminal for heavy, large and complex cargo and a new ro ro terminal, while a new multi-transport platform will open in 2025, along with an intermodal logistics hub in Aiud, in the industrial heartland of Romania.

In Türkiye, the merger of DP World Yarimca and Evyapport created a logistics hub on the Marmara Sea, increasing DP World’s capacity in the country by 500,000 TEU a year.

In Tanzania DP World signed a 30-year concession to operate and modernize the multi-purpose Dar es Salaam Port. It will initially invest more than $250 million to upgrade facilities and the investment could increase to $1 billion during the concession period, alongside hinterland logistics projects.

DP World has also started marine construction work for the development of a new deep-water port at Ndayane, Senegal, 50km from Dakar reinforcing its role as a logistics hub and gateway.

Under the first phase of the project DP World will invest $837 million, the single largest private sector investment in the history of Senegal.

In Banana, in the Democratic Republic of Congo, DP World has begun initial works after being awarded the 30-year concession to develop and manage the port in 2018. When complete, it will be the country’s first deep[1]sea port along its 37km Atlantic coastline on the Atlantic Ocean, bringing significant cost and time savings by attracting more direct calls from larger vessels.

DP World and India’s National Investment and Infrastructure Fund have signed a 30-year concession agreement to develop, operate and maintain a new 2.19 million TEU a year terminal in Gujarat on India’s western coast. The project involves the construction of a new $510 million terminal at Tuna-Tekra.

Additions to DP World’s Portfolio include Belawan New Container Terminal (BNCT), Indonesia, after finalising an agreement to manage the terminal and begin a major expansion. In the longer term, the DP World aims to increase capacity from 0.6 million to 1.4 million TEUs a year.

DP World and Malaysia’s Sabah Ports established a partnership in April 2024 to manage Sapangar Bay Container Port, supporting efforts already underway to increase handling capacity from 500,000 TEUs a year to 1.25 million TEUs in 2025.

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