Dubai retains position as leading maritime city

Dubai has retained its position as the Middle East's leading maritime city and ranked 12th globally in the 2026 Leading Maritime Cities report by DNV and Menon Economics.

The report places Dubai among the world's top maritime hubs, recognising its ability to maintain shipping and cargo operations despite major disruptions to regional trade routes.

During this period, Dubai’s maritime sector and Jebel Ali Port maintained operations and supported the movement of cargo, backed by close coordination between government and industry and an integrated network of bonded corridors, road and rail connections, and free zones.

The report benchmarks 50 maritime cities globally, selected from more than 15,000 worldwide, across five pillars: shipping centres, maritime finance and law, maritime technology, ports and logistics, and attractiveness and competitiveness.

It combines objective data with the views of 208 senior maritime industry experts from around the world.

Dubai was ranked fifth globally for maritime resilience, reflecting its infrastructure, strategic location and ability to keep goods moving through its ports and wider transport network.

The emirate recorded a significant improvement in the attractiveness and competitiveness category, climbing nine places to sixth globally.

Dubai led the entrepreneurship indicator alongside Abu Dhabi, ranked second globally for human capital and joint fourth for world competitiveness. 

It was also named the world's second most attractive city for maritime companies looking to relocate their headquarters.

The report further ranked Dubai third among cities expected to lead the global maritime sector over the next five years.

"We remain committed to strengthening these foundations and ensuring Dubai continues to support businesses and facilitate global trade under all circumstances," said Abdulla bin Damithan, Chairman of the Ports, Customs and Free Zone Corporation (PCFC).

Ahmad Yousef Al-Hassan, CEO and Managing Director, DP World GCC, added: "The true strength of a maritime hub is its ability to adapt when circumstances change. In one of the most challenging years for regional trade, DP World has drawn on those strengths to keep trade flowing for Dubai, moving nearly 1 million TEUs across the region through new routes and a strong multimodal network. We are now building on that capability, investing in new terminal capacity in Fujairah and strengthening our regional network to provide more options and connectivity for our customers into Dubai."

The report was launched at the first Seatrade Maritime UAE Summit in Dubai, bringing together senior figures from the international shipping and logistics industry.

Dubai

#1 Regionally

#12 Globally

in the Leading Maritime Cities report published by DNV and Menon Economics. pic.twitter.com/2kmISvxaw9

— Dubai Media Office (@DXBMediaOffice) November 12, 2026