Port Rashid

Port Rashid (Arabic: ميناء راشد‎; mina'a rāšid), also referred to as Mina Rashid, is a man made, commercial port in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Named after Sheikh Rashid bin Saeed Al Maktoum, the port opened in 1972.^[2][3] At the time the port only had two gantry cranes and a capacity of less than 100,000 TEUs.^[3] In 1978, the port was expanded to include 35 berths (five of which were able to be used by the largest container ships at the time).^[2] Today, the port (which has a depth of 13 metres (43 ft)) has 9 gantry cranes and a capacity of 1,500,000 TEUs.^[3]

Today, Port Rashid provides berths for general cargo, RoRo and passenger vessels. In the early 1980s, Port Rashid was supplemented by Port of Jebel Ali, which is further from the commercial centre of Dubai near the Abu Dhabi border.

Adjacent to the port are Dubai Drydocks and Dubai Maritime City. Both of these facilities were built due to Port Rashid's proximity. But, in January 2008, it was announced that the port would be redeveloped.^[4][5] All cargo operations will move to Jebel Ali Port by the end of March 2008.^[4] Port Rashid will turn into a cruise terminal.^[4] Also, part of the port will be reclaimed by Nakheel to create "a vibrant mixed use urban waterfront" that will house 200,000 residents.^[5]

RMS Queen Elizabeth 2

Port Rashid is the current location of the former Cunard Ocean Liner Queen Elizabeth 2 which arrived there on November 26th, 2008 at the end of her final voyage for the company before being handed over to her new owners. ^[6] The Queen Elizabeth 2 will remain moored at Port Rashid while her future is decided.

References

External links

• Port Rashid interactive satellite map