Jafza, Jebel Ali Port is a winning combination

Jafza is continually attracting small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and multinationals owing to facilities that will help set up their base in the free zone and expand the reach of their products in the Middle East and Africa, its senior official says.

Ebtesam Al Kaabi, head of sales at the Jebel Ali Free Zone (Jafza), said Dubai’s largest free zone offers facilities such as customisable manufacturing plots, light industrial units (LIUs), warehouses, offices and ready-to-move-in showrooms.

“We offer a dedicated area of over 3.4 million square metres to SMEs, multinationals and businesses who are serious to create future success stories,” she said.

“One of its biggest advantages of Jafza is its proximity to the Jebel Ali Port, which offers construction companies access to over 3.5 billion existing and potential consumers in the MEASA region. This, coupled with its multimodal transportation model has ensured the free zone supports 12,300 port customers,” Al Kaabi said.

Jebel Ali Port holds the key

The Jebel Ali Port is the largest port between Rotterdam and Singapore and it can handle all types of cargo including breakbulk through its 1.4 million square metres general cargo terminal.

The region’s busiest port does indeed tick all the boxes for companies dabbling in the construction sector as a seamless and transparent supply chain is a key element, be it to transport raw materials or even the end product. Its quay length of 5 km with 27 berths and a 1.2 million sqm GC Yard makes it ideal for efficient export and import of building materials.

“The port provides value-added services like assembling, warehousing, transport management, manufacturing and fabrication facilities. Other benefits include competitive ocean freight rates, operational flexibility, landside conversion, land for storage and logistics facilities,” Al Kaabi said.

She said DP World has invested heavily to ensure that sea, land and air connectivity is offered to customers.

“Customers can also benefit from the logistics corridor that connects the Port with Dubai International Airport and Al Maktoum International Airport. We also have a dedicated sea-air customs bonded corridor, connecting a sea-air box within 45 minutes of discharge that makes it very easy for clients in any industry including the building materials and construction sector reach their customers efficiently,” she said.

“Adding to our well-established connectivity models is the soon-to-be-completed Etihad Rail that will have a depot within the Jebel Ali facility, connecting the UAE to the GCC region,” she said.

Jebel Ali Port’s expansive reach to over 150 ports and 80 weekly services to large high-growth markets help free zone companies meet the growing regional and global demand for construction materials.

“The port’s growth figures over the last 10 years demonstrate its competencies. From 2011 to 2021, the port handled combined volumes in containers and breakbulk of up to one billion metric tonnes of iron & steel and construction material,” Al Kaabi concluded.

— muzaffarrizvi@khaleejtimes.com

• Business