Majlis 12 Seite 16

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S Situated between Europe and the Far East the United Arab Emirates enjoy the benefits of a perfectly strategic location in terms of trade and transport Though the location had always been a given it only gained in importance in the 20th century with the discovery of oil in the 1960s thanks to which the society and economy of the country was transformed and the country put on the map Up until then the region of the UAE was a quiet backwater of fishing villages pearl diving camel herding and farming Unfortunately the pearl diving industry suffered a great setback in the 1930s due to Japan s invention of the culture pearl source Zayed University However as the oil industry developed the region prospered and became increasingly significant for the rest of the world Since the UAE stretches for more than 650 km along the southern shore of the Persian Gulf and a further 90 km along the Gulf of Oman the country is perfectly positioned to transport goods by ship to various locations However realising early on that the oil reserves will not last forever the leaders of the country developed a plan to move away from the oil industry and to continue transforming the UAE into a diverse transport hub with a focus on maritime transport The successful progress of seaborne transportation to and from the UAE can to a large extent be ascribed to the development of the Jebel Ali Port in Dubai Since its completion in 1979 not only was Jebel Ali Port ranked the sixteenth busiest container port in the world but also the Best Seaport in the Middle East for 19 consecutive years Moreover the port was voted ninth in the Journal of Commerce among the Top 50 World Container Ports at the end of last year The uniqueness of Jebel Ali Port is its interconnectedness with access by sea air and land as well as an excellent network with the hinterland It covers a total area of 218 400 m and only earlier this year was equipped with its first electronic container handling terminal which increases the capacity of all three terminals of the port to 19 million containers during 2014 Vice Chairman DP World and Group CEO of Port Free Zone World Jamal Majid Bin Thaniah said Jebel Ali Port has been and continues to be a driver of economic growth not just of Dubai and the UAE but for the wider region of some two billion people from the subcontinent to East Africa In terms of international transport Jebel Ali Port already plays a vital role in connecting the world markets with over 170 shipping lines to over 100 ports worldwide It should come as no surprise that the UAE has developed into a regional hub for transportation and that transport has become a strategic priority In addition to these factors the creation of JAFZA Jebel Ali Free Zone Authority has transformed the region into an expanding business and trading platform Since the establishment of the free economic zone in 1985 it has grown into a thriving business community with over 7 100 companies and counting Today it serves as a dynamic base for thousands of businesses from over 100 countries Inspired by the exceptional success of the Jebel Ali Port Abu Dhabi is also investing in expanding their maritime transport sector Since its establishment in 2012 the new Khalifa Port off the coast of Abu Dhabi the growing StatuS oF the uae aS a maritime huB in the middle eaSt FOCUSFOCUS 14 ISSUE 12 MAJLIs