According to www.logisticsmiddleeast.com, more than $110bn in combined logistics investment by the UAE and Saudi Arabia is accelerating demand for project cargo and heavy-lift services — a central theme of Breakbulk Middle East 2026, scheduled for 4–5 February at the Dubai World Trade Centre.
GCC Investment Fuels Project Cargo Pipelines
Governments across the GCC deployed an estimated $110bn in investment expenditure during 2024, with infrastructure, special economic zones, and logistics-linked connectivity attracting a significant share. Saudi Arabia has committed more than $74bn to transport and logistics development, while the UAE plans to increase the sector’s contribution to GDP from around $37.2bn in 2024 to $54.5bn in the coming years.
This spending is directly feeding project cargo pipelines tied to giga-projects, renewable energy installations, industrial manufacturing, and mining across the GCC. The scale of investment is increasing both the volume and complexity of cargo linked to energy, industrial, and transport projects.
Dubai Strengthens Maritime Leadership
Dubai continues to strengthen its maritime standing, ranking among the world’s top five global maritime hubs and first in the Arab region in the 2025 International Shipping Centre Development Index. This reflects increased maritime activity and sustained investment aligned with Dubai Economic Agenda D33.
DP World has outlined new services and operational enhancements across its network, including a 36-hour maritime service between Mina Rashid and Iraq’s Umm Qasr Port, alongside multi-billion-dollar logistics and infrastructure investment programmes.
“A key platform for companies looking to tap into the opportunities created by the UAE’s continued rise as a global logistics hub.” — Shahab Al Jassmi, Chief Commercial Officer, Ports & Terminals at DP World GCC
Main Stage Focus: Execution, Energy, and Emerging Corridors
The Main Stage agenda will examine GCC giga-projects, emerging corridors into Iraq, and Africa’s expanding role in critical minerals and port development. Sessions will also address fleet readiness, alternative fuels, crew availability, and logistics requirements across oil, gas, LNG, renewables, and emerging nuclear sectors.
Arnoud Dekkers, Head of Business Development at DHL Industrial Projects Middle East and Africa, linked the programme to DHL’s regional investment plans, including “more than €500m for the Middle East and a further €300m earmarked for Africa,” alongside projects in Saudi Arabia and Dubai South.
“An essential forum connecting stakeholders across the UAE’s infrastructure, logistics and energy sectors.” — H.E. Eng. Mohammed Al Mansoori, Undersecretary for Infrastructure and Transport at the Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure of the UAE
The event brings together project owners, EPCs, freight forwarders, carriers, ports, and terminals involved in executing oversized and heavy cargo movements across the Middle East and Africa — a practitioner-critical convergence amid rising infrastructure execution complexity.
Source: www.logisticsmiddleeast.com
Compiled from international media by the SCI.AI editorial team.
