Middle East trade disruption has reduced vessel traffic at Jebel Ali, although the major container hub remains fully operational and has sustained no physical damage, DP World said on Thursday.
In its results for the first half of 2026, the global ports and logistics operator said it had implemented measures across its regional network, including expanded inland connectivity, to maintain the movement of critical cargo as the conflict disrupted regional trade flows.
The impact on Jebel Ali weighed on DP World’s overall container throughput, with gross volumes falling 5.7% year on year to 42.8 million TEUs during the six-month period.
Excluding Jebel Ali, however, gross throughput increased 5.4% to 39.7m TEUs and was up 6.5% on a like-for-like basis. The company reported growth across Africa, Asia Pacific, Europe and the Americas.
DP World also announced plans to expand its UAE gateway network through two new terminals at Fujairah under a 50-year concession.
The terminals would extend the Jebel Ali ecosystem, providing cargo owners with greater flexibility and strengthening the resilience of the UAE’s trade infrastructure, the company said.
DP World invested US$1.5 billion across its global portfolio during the first half and expects capital expenditure to reach about US$3bn for the full year. The planned investment will support additional capacity and trade infrastructure in markets including the UAE, UK, India, Saudi Arabia and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
The group reported first-half revenue of US$12.7bn, up 13.1% year on year from US$11.2bn, while adjusted earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation fell 5.6% to US$2.86bn.
Group CEO Yuvraj Narayan said the performance outside Jebel Ali demonstrated the strength of the company’s global network.
“Excluding Jebel Ali, container volumes increased by 6.5% on a like-for-like basis, and adjusted EBITDA increased by 9.7%, with growth across Africa, the Americas, Asia Pacific, and Europe,” he said.
Despite continued near-term uncertainty, the company said it remained positive about the medium- to long-term outlook for global trade, supported by its diversified network and expanding integrated logistics business.
