Dubai Maritime City Handles Record 52 Vessels in One Day

Dubai Maritime City handled a record 52 vessels at its dry berths on July 28, DP World data shows.

The result marked the highest number of vessels received by the maritime services and ship-repair hub in a single day.

Dubai Maritime City recorded the milestone as regional demand for ship inspection, maintenance and repair continued to grow. Increased oil and gas activity has also raised demand for offshore support vessels that must remain ready for deployment.

Dry-berth activity increased in July

Dry-berth occupancy rose 22 per cent year on year in July 2026, according to figures reported by Gulf News.

The facility handled 202 vessels during the month, an increase of 7 per cent from the 188 vessels recorded in July 2025.

Offshore support vessels measuring up to 150 metres accounted for a significant share of the increase. These vessels support operations including crew transport, equipment delivery, towing and work at offshore energy facilities.

Demand from yacht and leisure-boat operators also rose sharply. Dry-berth occupancy for this segment increased 88 per cent compared with July 2025 and 110 per cent from the beginning of 2026 through the end of July.

A dry berth allows a vessel to be lifted out of the water so teams can inspect its hull, complete repairs and carry out scheduled maintenance.

Dubai Maritime City’s official berthing information says the facility has a 1,270-metre stretch of wet berth and 42 dry berths of different sizes.

Capacity for smaller boats is expanding

Dubai Maritime City is acquiring and refurbishing more than 500 vessel-support cradles as part of its capacity expansion.

The equipment will allow the facility to accommodate as many as 60 small boats. It will support yachts, leisure craft, traditional wooden vessels, commercial ships and offshore support vessels.

The facility operates two ship lifts capable of lifting vessels weighing up to 6,000 tonnes and 3,000 tonnes. Its purpose-built industrial district also contains more than 21 ship-repair plots, according to Dubai Maritime City’s ship-lift service page.

Previous infrastructure upgrades were designed to raise annual docking and undocking capacity to 2,000 operations. Dubai Maritime City reported in 2024 that the improvements had increased its total ship-handling capacity to 1,000 vessels.

Automation targets faster and safer operations

Dubai Maritime City has automated three vehicle gates, digitising around 16,000 vehicle movements each week.

Artificial intelligence-based safety systems have also been introduced across the site. Work is continuing on automated berth-booking and reservation-management systems.

The upgrades are intended to reduce processing time, improve safety and help the facility manage a wider range of vessels as activity increases.

The higher July traffic indicates growing demand from shipowners and marine businesses for specialised maintenance infrastructure in Dubai. It also supports the emirate’s wider role in maritime services, trade and regional logistics.

Vessel owners and contractors can submit dry-berth and ship-lift booking requests through Dubai Maritime City’s official website.