DP World is on a roll in India: Dubai’s global logistics player DP World is marching ahead with its push into the Indian market, making headways on some of its projects and inking MoUs exploring further collaboration in logistics and ship services, Wam reported on Thursday here and here. The updates came during an official visit to India by Dubai Crown Prince Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed.

PROJECTS UPDATES-

#1- DP World inaugurated a Freetrade Warehousing Zone (FTWZ) at Mumbai’s Nhava Sheva Business Park, Wam reported on Thursday. The project is part of the company’s USD 200 mn investment in three FTWZs across India, which would be integrated with the UAE’s Jebel Ali Free Zone (JAFZA) to enhance cargo movement and boosting trade connectivity between India and the UAE.

#2- DP World makes headway on Bharat Mart: Dubai-based port operator DP World has commenced the development of Bharat Mart — a warehousing and trading hub designed for Indian MSMEs — with plans to launch it by the end of 2026, according to a statement released on Thursday. The project aims to bolster UAE-India business relations and streamline access of Indian MSMEs to global markets.

The details: Bharat Mart — which gained traction from some 9k Indian MSMEs back in October 2024 — will cover 2.7 mn square ft in the Jebel Ali Free Zone (Jafza) with its first phase encompassing 1.3 mn square ft. The hub is slated to host 1.5k showrooms and include upwards of 700k square ft of warehouse space, light industrial units, and office spaces.

Bharat Mart is part of Bharat Africa Setu — a wider initiative to boost India-Africa trade, according to a separate press release published on Friday. The trade push aims to double India’s share of African imports from 6.5% to 12% by 2030 by granting Indian exporters access to 260k points of sale in 53 African countries. DP World is set to contribute to this by providing Indian exporters physical infrastructure and additional services, including export finance, branding, packaging, and certification.

THE AGREEMENTS-

#1- A ship services agreement: DP World’s Drydocks World and India’s Cochin Shipyard signed an MoU to develop ship repair clusters in the Indian cities of Kochi and Vadinar, Wam reported. The partnership aims to create world-class maintenance and repair facilities and expand collaboration into areas like offshore fabrication and marine engineering.

#2- An MoU with Rites, an Indian infrastructure consultancy and engineering firm: The two companies signed an agreement to explore collaboration in developing trade, logistics, and infrastructure projects, including on ports, multimodal logistics parks, freetrade zones, and rail connectivity.

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