DP World reaches preliminary agreement to develop two Fujairah terminals under a 50-year concession

Jul 22, 2026

DP World has reached an agreement in principle with the Fujairah Ports Authority under a 50-year concession to develop the Al Rugaylat container and multi-purpose terminal and the Dibba General Cargo terminal on the eastern coast of the United Arab Emirates. Once operational, the development would establish a deep-water trade gateway outside the Strait of Hormuz and increase DP World's UAE container handling capacity from 19.4 million to almost 22 million TEUs. The terminals will be connected to Jebel Ali through DP World's inland logistics network and integrated with Jafza. Construction is expected to be delivered in phases over approximately 24 to 30 months from the start of works.

DP World Fujairah concession agreement

▪DP World and the Fujairah Ports Authority reached an agreement in principle under a 50-year concession to develop two new port terminals on the eastern coast of the United Arab Emirates.
▪The preliminary agreement under the 50-year concession was signed in the presence of Sheikh Mohammed bin Hamad bin Mohammed Al Sharqi, Crown Prince of Fujairah.

Al Rugaylat container terminal capacity

▪The planned Al Rugaylat container and multi-purpose terminal is designed to handle up to 2.5 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) annually.
▪The Al Rugaylat terminal will have an annual capacity to handle 1.7 million tonnes of general cargo and 190,000 car equivalent units (CEUs).

Dibba Port cargo operations

▪DP World said the new terminals will be connected to Jebel Ali Port through its inland logistics network and integrated with the Jebel Ali Free Zone, or Jafza.
▪The Dibba General Cargo terminal will add up to 3.6 million tonnes of annual general cargo capacity to the port infrastructure of Fujairah.

Strait of Hormuz bypass

▪DP World said the development would establish a deep-water trade gateway on the UAE's eastern coast, while Reuters reported that the project comes as the country seeks to reduce its reliance on the Strait of Hormuz amid sharply reduced vessel traffic and the Iran war.
▪Separately, UAE Minister of State for Foreign Trade Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi said the country had begun implementing a strategy aimed at reducing its reliance on the Strait of Hormuz to zero, particularly for oil exports, through alternative supply routes.

UAE container capacity expansion

▪The Fujairah port expansion will increase DP World's total container handling capacity in the United Arab Emirates from 19.4 million TEUs to nearly 22 million TEUs.
▪DP World's flagship Jebel Ali port, which sits inside the Strait of Hormuz, handled 15.6 million TEUs in 2025 out of the group's 56.1 million consolidated TEUs.

Construction timeline phased delivery

▪The development of the Al Rugaylat and Dibba terminals will be delivered in phases, with construction expected to take 24 to 30 months from the start of works.
▪The Loadstar reported that DP World had recently acquired 700 trucks for landbridge container movements that were likely to form part of the new terminals' cargo base.