Dubai is moving to build a new multi-purpose port and container terminal in Fujairah, aiming to reduce its dependence on the Strait of Hormuz after maritime traffic through the waterway has been disrupted since US-Israeli strikes on Iran on 28 February 2025.
DP World is in talks to develop the new facilities, with the port expected to begin operations within 12 to 18 months. The push comes as cargo throughput at Jebel Ali port has collapsed by 90 to 95 percent since the war began. Separately, Gulftainer is expanding the container port at Khor Fakkan in a two-billion-dollar project. Shipowners have meanwhile been ordering tankers at record pace in response to the blockade.
The security threat remains acute. Iran has fired nearly 3,000 drones or missiles at the UAE as of April 2026, and on 13 July two Emirati oil tankers were struck by Iranian cruise missiles, killing one Indian crew member and wounding eight.