Ashdod Port hoping to collaborate with Emirati logistics multinational DP World

“Tomorrow morning there could be lines of ships coming to Ashdod,” Orna Hozman-Bechor, chairwoman of the Ashdod port said after meeting with Sultan Ahmed Bin Sulayem during an interview with CTech’s Ron Friedman at the Israel-UAE Conference in Dubai organized by Bank Leumi, Calcalist, and Reshet 13.

“The Ashdod Port is very excited to see how we can collaborate with DP World,” Hozman-Bechor said. She added that although DP World is currently competing in a tender for running the Haifa port, Ashdod is “very interesting to him” due to its central location. Ashdod could be the hub of the entire region, where containers can come from India within a short time, she noted. “It’s a big opportunity for us and for them,” she said, adding that the Ashdod port conducts business with big companies in Japan and Taiwan, but the potential for Dubai is even greater.

“It’s a great opportunity and there is no need to wait for privatization, it can be started immediately. Tomorrow morning there could be lines of ships coming to Ashdod,” she said.

Dubai is known as a major port hub, and Ashdod can learn plenty about the technologies DP World uses. Currently, the Ashdod Port has invested some $700 million to upgrade its systems and compete with future terminals, she added.