New shipping line between Eilat and Dubai to open in October
Thanks to the cooperation between DoverTower and DP World, a new direct shipping line will be able to bring goods from the port of Eilat to Dubai in just 10 days.
By HAGAY HACOHENDoverTower owner Shlomi Fogel (L) signing a cooperation deal with DP World CEO Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem. (photo credit: Courtesy)
A shipping line between Eilat and Dubai will open in October, shortening the time needed to deliver Israeli goods to the Gulf state to 10 days, DoverTower reported on Wednesday.“Up until now, Israeli-made goods had to be shipped to a different country and taken to Dubai from that location,” DoverTower owner Shlomi Fogel told The Jerusalem Post a day after the UAE-Israel Abraham Accord was signed at the White House.“Now, Israeli dates and peppers, for example, could arrive in the Gulf in just 10 days.”The line will begin with two ships that can each carry up to 600 containers. The return voyage is expected to last 20 days and could deliver Gulf-produced goods, such as Saudi-made raw materials for plastic production in Israel, or sports shoes for Israeli clients,made in one of the 7,500 factories located in the Jebel Ali Free Zone in western Dubai.Fogel hinted that even more trading options would be possible in the future, should the promises of US President Donald Trump that five other countries will join the deal materialize.Fogel points to the option of loading more goods along the route, for example in Sudan, for the Israeli market.“Sudan produces sesame seeds,” he says, “something Israel needs.”Working in Dubai since 1982, DoverTower signed the agreement with DP World CEO Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem. DP World also operates the Jebel Ali Free Zone.The economic growth Fogel expects won’t be limited only to Israelis. He suggested that Palestinians from the Gaza Strip and the West Bank will also be able to sell their produce via the new shipping route.“COVID-19 is having an effect on the volume of shipping lines,” he told the Post. “Because less people travel, there is less consumption. But I believe a vaccination will be created, and a year from now, who knows how big this could get?
“I have to be optimistic. Did you ever meet a businessman who isn’t?” he joked.Fogel said “we’re lucky the UAE has a brave leadership that believes in change and makes this decision [to sign the agreement]. Every Israeli should go there and see what great progress it has made since winning its independence in 1971.”
