No major explosion, impressive fire or casualties were reported. The Gulf Emirates’ communications service announced on Thursday that the disaster, which occurred in Dubai’s main port from Wednesday night to Thursday, had been brought under control. Images Shared on social networks A large fireball was visible several kilometers away.
The fire caused by an explosion inside a container on a ship in the port of Jebel Ali has been brought under control; No casualties were reported. pic.twitter.com/oMTaJhgEYd
– Dubai Media Office (XDXBMediaOffice) July 7, 2021
“A fire caused by an explosion inside a container on a boat At the port of Jebel Ali It has been brought under control and no casualties have been reported, ”the Dubai media office tweeted. In the accompanying video, firefighters load themselves into a large boat in which thick white smoke comes out. An AFP journalist noted that a helicopter was sent to the site under very tight security and was inaccessible.
The windows shook
Jebel Ali port officials promised to “take all necessary measures so that the normal movement of ships in the port can continue without any hindrance,” the DMO said. Jebel Ali is headquartered at DP World, an Emirati company that is one of the world’s leading port operators managing 49 terminals worldwide.
The largest port in the south of the Emirates is capable of accommodating aircraft carriers and was the most active U.S. naval port outside the United States in 2017, according to a research service by the U.S. Congress. Such events are rare in the highly-secured city-state, one of the seven presidents that make up the United Arab Emirates.
“I was out on my balcony. My friend saw it coming yellow like the sun. I took the picture, and then (there was a noise) ”tweeted a user who lives near the site of the explosion. “I saw the windows moving,” a resident of Marina County, near the port of Jebel Ali, told AFP: “I’ve been living here for 15 years, and this is the first time I’ve seen and heard this.”
The largest shopping area in the Middle East
Jebel Ali Port handled 14.1 million TEU (equivalent of twenty feet) in 2019, down 5.6%, but it still ranks in the top 10 globally. There are about 8,000 companies in the Jebel Ali Free Zone (JAFZA) that accounted for 23% of Dubai’s GDP last year.
It is the largest trading area in the Middle East. In 50 years, the Emirate has grown from a small port city to a regional crossroads for transportation, trade, tourism and financial services. Poor in oil, Dubai has a very different economy from the Arab Gulf countries, attracting workers from all over the world to different industries. Of the approximately 3.3 million people living in this city-state known for its taste for consumption and luxury, more than 90% are foreigners.
