DP World launches new freighter service between UAE-Iraq

DP World has launched the first direct freight service between the UAE and Iraq, according to a report by the state news agency, WAM.

The service is offered by P&O Maritime Transports, a DP World company.

The ‘unaccompanied’ trailer service allows cargo owners and logistics companies to load a UAE-plated trailer in their local warehouse, ship it securely to Iraq and get the same trailer back, without the cargo having to change hands along the route.

This is especially useful for transporting palletised or project cargo – large, heavy duty, or complex pieces of equipment, due to the greater payload capacity of road-based trailers.

Purpose-built RORO freight vessels allow customers greater flexibility in the planning and movement of over-dimensional packages on low-bed and heavy-axle trailers. This generates significant cost savings versus traditional break bulk operations, as the cargo loaded on board a trailer is available to be delivered directly on-site in Iraq.

The service takes approximately 36 hours to travel between Jebel Ali Port in the UAE and Umm Qasr Port in southern Iraq.

Benefits of the new service

It offers a new route between the two countries for road trailers, alleviating challenges faced by customers using cross-border land transport, which can take up to 14 days.

So far, goods transported by road from the UAE to Iraq had to be ‘transloaded’ – a time-consuming exercise of transferring cargo from the original truck to a locally-licensed vehicle. It is also risky, exposing the cargo in terms of damage, contamination and security.

The first customer to use the route was the ADSO Group, a UAE-based logistics firm.

DP World: Recent milestones

In other news, DP World and Vancouver Fraser Port Authority recently celebrated the completion of the Centerm Expansion Project at DP World Vancouver, and the 100th anniversary of the port’s marine terminal operations.

DP World also announced its Q1 performance highlights in April. The company handled 19.5 million TEU (twenty-foot equivalent units) across its global portfolio of container terminals in the first quarter, with gross container volumes increasing by 1.4 per cent year-on-year on a reported basis and up 3.7 per cent on a like-for-like basis.

The growth was driven by a strong performance in Asia Pacific and India, which was partially offset by softer performance in Europe and the Americas. Jebel Ali (UAE) handled 3.5 million TEU in 1Q 2023, up 2.3 per cent year-on-year.

A strong start to 2023: we have handled 19.5M 20ft containers across our global terminal portfolio this quarter, up 1.4% year-on-year.

This was driven by a strong performance in the Asia Pacific, Indian and UAE markets.

Discover the full results:

— DP World (@DP_World) April 28, 2023

At a consolidated level, the company’s terminals handled 11.4 million TEU during Q1 2023, up 0.7 per cent year-on-year on a reported basis but down 1.3 per cent on a like-for-like basis.

Photo courtesy: WAM