The global automotive trade map is undergoing a structural transformation driven by nearshoring, the electrification of vehicle fleets and the arrival of Chinese cars in markets across Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA). Against this backdrop of volatility in supply chains, DP World is accelerating the transformation of its corporate profile: the Dubai-based giant is seeking to move beyond pure port management and establish itself as an end-to-end logistics operator in the finished-vehicle segment.
The expansion of the group's roll-on/roll-off (ro-ro) network, which has grown from 16 to 22 operational locations worldwide, along with plans to enter markets where business opportunities exist, reflects a redesign of intercontinental flows. The saturation of the specialized shipping fleet and geopolitical disruptions in the Red Sea have turned intermodal hubs into critical assets for safeguarding manufacturers' time-to-market.
Jebel Ali as a redistribution hub for the Atlantic and Africa
The strategic hub of this plan is the Jebel Ali terminal in the United Arab Emirates. The complex handled more than one million vehicles in 2024, driven by the expansion of Asian brands that use Dubai as a transshipment point to emerging markets in West Africa and the Middle East.
The Jebel Ali facilities can process up to one million car equivalent units (CEUs) and store 27,000 vehicles across multi-level berths. The infrastructure includes value-added services such as pre-delivery inspections (PDI), temperature-controlled handling areas for high-voltage batteries and integrated customs solutions. The use of the Cargoes digital platform gives manufacturers real-time visibility to anticipate bottlenecks in space allocation.
Gateways into West Africa and the Eastern market
Penetration of developing markets is the second pillar of the expansion. In East Africa, taking operational control of Tanzania's Dar es Salaam terminal — a gateway to the continent's inland road corridors — has enabled DP World to handle nearly 100% of the country's car imports. The optimization of work shifts has increased operational performance at the site from 15,000 to 27,000 moves per month.
On Europe's periphery, DP World is channeling the industrial reshoring trend through investments aimed at connecting the Black Sea basin with Central Europe. The company is investing €130 million in the Romanian port of Constanța and the inland hub of Aiud. The project combines an ro-ro terminal with annual capacity for 80,000 vehicles in Constanța and a multimodal platform that connects maritime traffic directly by rail, reducing reliance on road transport and the carbon footprint of continental distribution.
This expansion is complemented by the opening of a 25-hectare site at the Belgian port of Zeebrugge, with storage capacity for 7,000 units, designed to provide inventory flexibility for automotive brands in Northern Europe.
Electrification and data analytics in terminal operations
The decarbonization of port last-mile logistics has been incorporated into the design of the new facilities. At the British port of London Gateway, the company operates electrified berths with gantry cranes and zero-emission automated stackers, while at Jebel Ali it has deployed fleets of heavy-duty electric trucks with Einride for interterminal movements.
Operationally, the implementation of simulation models based on digital twins and artificial intelligence enables the dynamic management of vehicle positioning in the yard. This combination of physical infrastructure and data-analysis tools seeks to mitigate the costs arising from congestion and provide stable logistics alternatives amid the reorganization of traditional maritime routes.
The article DP World prioritizes growth in West Africa amid the electric vehicle boom was first published on canarymaritime.com.
