Jebel Ali - A Thriving Industial Zone

Jebel Ali is 35km south west of Dubai city and boasts the world's largest man-made harbour. Construction of the port began in the late 1970s and with its 67 berths it is the Middle East's busiest port.

Surrounding the port is Jebel Ali Free Zone, which was set up in 1985 offering business and tax incentives to companies located within it. The free zone is now home to a thriving business community offering among other things world class warehousing and distribution facilities. Dubai International Airport City, a 140 square km complex that will include industrial cities as well as an airport, is being built along side the port and the free zone.

The business side of things is thriving, with more than 5000 companies active in Jebel Ali Free Zone, making it the world's third largest free zone. The port itself is one of the premier shipping centres of its kind in the Middle East and indeed the world.

The Jebel Ali Industial Area is a world centre that is visited by some of the world's largest ocean-going ships. The port is in the middle of a Dhs 4.1 billion phases expansion programme. In 2005 the throughput was 6.39 million twenty-foot equivalent units or TEUs.

Modern industrial and warehouse facilities have led many large multinational companies to choose Jebel Ali Industrial Area fortheir Middle East headquarters. Warehouses now stretch as far as the eye can see. Jebel Ali Industrial Area has a huge power and desalination plant that helps to supply the needs of Dubai's growing population. A diverse range of businesses have decided to locate in the Jebel Ali Industrial Area, which offers facilities that equal the best in the world.