Port Rashid

When it was built in 1973, the idea behind Port Rashid was for it to be the primary commercial port of Dubai, dealing with passenger and freight shipping for the city and acting as a transfer port to allow the further development and appreciation of the city. In the 1980s it began to share this load with the Jebel Ali Port, and in time the latter port has come to be the city’s main commercial port. What this means for the initial port is usually that it falls into disuse and disrepair. For Port Rashid it is set to mean that the location will be turned into one of the most interesting developments in a city already full of interesting developments.

With cargo operations having moved to Jebel Ali Port, the main function of Port Rashid from a maritime point of view will be as a cruise liner terminal. It is indeed the ideal place for one, as it allows the passengers to disembark in the vicinity of one of the most important Dubai gold souk, an ideal place for cruise line passengers with money to spend who are looking to be impressed. In addition, the plans are already far advanced to turn the surrounding area into an urban waterfront with space for 200,000 residents, making the area highly profitable.

Interestingly, Port Rashid is also the current home of the famed Cunard cruise liner the QE2. Considering its future status as one of the world’s premier cruise liner terminals, there could be few better advertisements for the area and Dubai travel in general than the presence there of such a legendary vessel.