São Paulo – DP World, the Dubai-based ports operator, handled 14.3 million TEUs (twenty-foot equivalent units) worldwide in Q1 this year. The volume is up 10.5% from the same period last year, according to information released this Monday (28th) by the company.
“First-quarter growth was largely driven by an improved performance from our Asia Pacific, India and UAE terminals, with Europe continuing to show signs of improvement. The UAE delivered a very strong quarter handling 3.6 million TEU, representing growth of 17%,” said DP World chairman Sultan Ahmed Bin Sulayem in a press release.
In DP World proprietary terminals alone, container throughput stood at 6.8 million TEUs in Q1, up 9.1% from the same period in 2013. In March 2013, investment in the Hong Kong terminal was scaled down. DP World also operates terminals it does not control.
“As anticipated, we have seen a return to volume growth in 2014 due to the addition of new capacity and a pick-up in global trade in the first quarter. We are encouraged by the volumes handled at our flagship Jebel Ali port, with the 1 million TEU expansion of Jebel Ali’s Terminal 2 contributing to the strong result. The addition of [a] 4 million TEU capacity with Terminal 3 opening this year will ensure we are well placed to handle future capacity demands in Dubai,” said Sulayem.
For the rest of the year, the DP World chairman is also betting on good performance for the company. “As always, we remain focused on driving profitability by targeting higher margin throughput while containing costs and improving efficiencies. We remain confident of meeting full year market expectations,” he said.
*Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum
