On the crest of a wave

摘要

This year looks as if it will be another good one for ports in the Middle East with most of the region's container-handling facilities enjoying robust rates of growth. However, as John Fossey reports, congestion is an issue in some ports. In 2007, the main container-handling facilities in the Middle East region dealt with an estimated 22.5 million TEU, up just over 8% on the previous 12 months. Current indications suggest that 2008 will be another solid year of growth, with provisional figures for the January/end-June period suggesting a rise in throughput of between 10 and 12% for the full year. However, the surge in container traffic has led to congestion in a number of ports, including at Dubai's huge Jebel Ali, container-handling complex. This has led to a number of mainline operators and feeder carriers imposing congestion surcharges as waiting times for a berth have climbed to as many as four days, (see 'Carriers plan Jebel Ali congestion hike,' p17).