Jebel Ali Port to become a Marine Heaven with sustainable living Seawalls initiative
DUBAI : DP World is set to enhance marine life at Jebel Ali Port in Dubai through a new partnership with Living Seawalls, introducing innovative marine panels designed to mimic natural habitats to help return marine life to coastal shorelines of the UAE. This comes as part of the ‘Year of Sustainability’ being marked in the UAE.
Living Seawalls was founded to address the ecological impact of traditional sea defences, which are often flat structures devoid of shelter for organisms. The company’s habitat panels mimic natural formations like rock pools and mangrove roots, and can be fitted to new or existing sea defences. Previous installations have led to a 36% increase in marine life after just two years, with further growth expected.
In 2021, Living Seawalls was a finalist in the Earthshot Prize and recieved £500,000 from DP World to fund the design and installation of a new seawall in our Port in Callao, Peru. Early analysis indicate promising results after the adoption of this inovation. The work at Jebel Ali Port marks the next phase in DP World’s journey toward creating sustainable, resilient, and biodiversity-rich port environments.
Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem, Group Chairman and CEO, DP World, said: “Expanding the Living Seawalls initiative to Jebel Ali Port is a testament to our commitment to more sustainable global trade. By transforming port infrastructure to benefit urban marine environments, we are not only supporting marine biodiversity but also setting new standards for sustainable port operations. This project is a significant step towards integrating smart design solutions while advancing the UN SDGs. In the ‘Year of Sustainability’ in the UAE, this collaboration further underscores our dedication to a more sustainable future for our planet.”
Katherine Dafforn, Co-Founder of Living Seawalls and Associate Professor, Macquarie University, added: “We urgently need to find ways to restore biodiversity to ensure the health of our ocean. This partnership between Living Seawalls and DP World will provide crucial habitats to support biodiversity on a large scale in Jebel Ali Port and help build a scientific evidence base for extending this initiative globally through DP World’s network of ports and terminals.”
The partnership underscores DP World’s commitment to marine biodiversity and sustainable infrastructure development, aligned with its ‘Our World, Our Future’ Sustainability Strategy. The strategy supports UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly Goal 14 (Life Below Water) and 15 (Life on Land) and contributes to UAE’s ambitions for a sustainable development. By enhancing port environments to support diverse marine species, the project also demonstrates the company’s commitment to delivering nature-positive solutions in urban settings.
The Earthshot Prize was launched by Prince William in 2020 to search for and scale the most innovative solutions to the world’s greatest environmental challenges. DP World is one of the Earthshot Prize’s Global Alliance Founding partners.