News / DP World launches second shipping service as it develops Berbera port

Photo: VesselFinder

Global terminal operator DP World has teamed up with Singapore-based regional carrier Summit Shipping to launch a new service between Dubai and Somaliland’s Berbera port.

Deploying two 713 teu feeder vessels, the YDS service turns in nine days on a port rotation of Dubai-Aden-Djibouti-Berbera, and is the second service into the Somaliland port since DP World assumed operations there in 2017.

It adds to the RGS service is operated by Singapore carrier PIL and DP World-owned Feedertech, which deploys three 1,800 teu vessels on a three-week rotation of Mundra-Dubai-Djibouti-Jeddah-Berbera.

“The launch of this new corridor is a milestone in our ambition to build faster, safer, and more reliable trade routes,” Supachai Wattanaveerachai, CEO, DP World Horn of Africa, said.

“Our work in Berbera is already stimulating trade and industry, while supporting wider community development. Looking ahead, this service will strengthen Berbera’s role as a gateway for East Africa’s future growth and prosperity,” he added.

DP World has invested heavily in Berbera, where annual capacity now stands at 500,000 teu, with expansion plans to quadruple this capacity to 2m teu. Its 1,050-metre quay includes a 400-metre berth capable of handling triple E vessels

Since 2017, container volumes have risen 30% and general cargo throughput by 90%, the terminal operator said, adding that it was developing the port as an alternative gateway to the landlocked Ethiopian market.

“From Berbera, cargo can connect onwards to inland destinations such as Ethiopia, providing an alternative to traditional logistics chains that rely on Djibouti Port and long-haul overland trucking. The new route also supports more predictable transit times and reduces exposure to regional bottlenecks,” it said.

The port’s regional competitiveness is expected to be reinforced by investments in inland connectivity, particularly the corridor linking to Addis Ababa in Ethiopia, financed by the Abu Dhabi Fund for Development and the UK’s Department for International Development, with recent upgrades including a 250km road and the 22.5km Hargeisa bypass improving hinterland transit capacity.

DP World holds a 58.5% stake in Berbera’s container and general cargo terminal. However, in common with a number of its other port developments, this has gone alongside investment into the nearby Berbera Economic Zone, “to accelerate local industrialisation”.