Dubai-based marine terminal operator DP World has opened the new Jebel Ali Container Terminal 3 (T3) in Dubai.
The terminal will be the world’s largest semi-automated facility, claims the company.
T3 features 19 automated quay cranes and 50 automated rail mounted gantry (RMG) yard cranes, which are operated by remote control technology.
The new terminal will add four million twenty-foot equivalent container units (TEUs) capacity to the port, taking its total capacity to 19 million TEUs.
T3 is expected to be 30% more carbon efficient than any conventional terminal operation and is also expected to generate around 1,000 skilled jobs.
DP World chairman HE Sultan Ahmed Bin Sulayem said Jebel Ali is one of Dubai’s jewels and continues to lead the industry by pioneering large-scale automation.
“And because it takes jobs from the quayside to the safety and security of the operations building, the work has proven attractive to Emirati nationals, including women, who, we are delighted to note, make up a significant number of our new T3 team,” Bin Sulayem said.
DP World UAE region senior vice-president and managing director Mohammed Al Muallem said the expansion of Terminal 2 last year and the opening of T3 this year means they will be the only port in the region able to simultaneously handle ten of the largest vessels afloat.
“With the forthcoming connection of Etihad Rail to Jebel Ali, the port will be part of a multi-modal supply chain that seamlessly links sea-road-rail and air through the Dubai logistics corridor, reinforcing our position as the premier gateway for the region and the entire Middle East. Planning for the long term is something we have always done and will continue for the benefit of future generations,” Al Muallem said.
