Adedokun Waliyu 
Port operator DP World said on Thursday its Jebel Ali port, one of Dubai’s key ports just inside the Strait of Hormuz, remains fully operational with no infrastructure damage, but inbound vessel traffic has declined as the Iran war shows no sign of easing.
The conflict, triggered by joint U.S. and Israeli air strikes on Iran nearly two weeks ago, has disrupted energy markets and transport and effectively shut the Strait of Hormuz, the world’s most important oil artery.
Most major Gulf ports, including Dubai’s Jebel Ali and primary ports in Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar and the Saudi Gulf coast, are located where most incoming traffic would have to pass through the Hormuz waterway.
UAE ports outside the strait have limited capacity. Khorfakkan can handle 5 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) and Fujairah less than 1 million and would be hard-placed to make up for capacity lost at Jebel Ali or Abu Dhabi’s Khalifa Port.
“While infrastructure remains fully operational, we are deploying regional rerouting and operational mitigation measures to maintain supply chain continuity during this period,” DP World CEO Yuvraj Narayan said in a statement.
But logistical and security challenges for port operators and shipping companies remain elevated. The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations on Thursday said an unidentified projectile had struck a container ship, causing a small fire, 35 nautical miles north of Jebel Ali.
DP World is one of the world’s largest port and logistics operators, with operations spanning countries including Canada, Peru, India and Angola.
In its statement, DP World also said its profit attributable to the owners of the company rose nearly 43% to $1.07 billion last year, boosted by a strong performance of its ports and terminals as well as its logistics division, which boosted revenue.
For 2026, the group has set a capital expenditure budget of approximately $3 billion.
DP World said Jebel Ali port last year handled 15.6 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEU) out of a group total across its global terminals of 56.1 million consolidated TEU.
Narayan was appointed DP World’s new group CEO in February after the company’s long‑serving former chief Sultan Ahmed Bin Sulayem resigned amid mounting pressure over his alleged ties with Jeffrey Epstein.
