Dubai Ports starts Jebel Ali expansion project

Dubai Ports starts Jebel Ali expansion project    The Dubai Ports Authority (DPA) said Saturday that work has started on the first stage of its expansion project at the port of Jebel Ali.
   The project will be carried out by Hyundai Engineering and Construction Co. Ltd., and includes construction of 2.5 kilometers of quay wall. Once the work has been done, the total container terminal area at Jebel Ali will increase about 173 hectares with storage handling capacity at the port rising 5 million TEUs.
   The first stage of the expansion is estimated to cost $ 1.4 billion, and will be divided into two phases, with the first phase expected to be completed by the first quarter of 2007, and the second stage scheduled for completion by the first quarter of 2008.
   This full expansion project comprises 14 stages and is expected to be completed by 2030, the DPA said.