The day Queen Elizabeth II opened Jebel Ali Port in Dubai in February 1979

The importance of Jebel Ali Port in UAE history cannot be overstated.

Sheikh Rashid bin Saeed, who was Dubai's Ruler between 1958 and 1990, had made the decision to build a port 40 kilometres outside the centre of the city, in the tiny town of Jebel Ali.

It was a move that concerned some, as they thought it may take business away from Port Rashid, which had opened only seven years earlier, but still he pressed ahead.

Those worries were soon washed away as Jebel Ali Port, which was inaugurated by Queen Elizabeth II in February 1979, went on to become the largest man-made deepwater harbour, one of the busiest ports in the Middle East and one of the biggest in the world.

February 26, 1979 was a historic day in more ways than one, as it fell during Queen Elizabeth's first trip to the UAE as monarch.

Queen Elizabeth makes a speech at the inauguration of Jebel Ali Port in 1979, with Sheikh Rashid bin Saeed, Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid and her husband Prince Philip also present. Wam

She was on a three-day visit with her husband Prince Philip to the UAE, which was then only eight years old, and had arrived on Saturday, February 24 in Abu Dhabi to meet Sheikh Zayed, the Founding Father.

The next day, on Sunday, she flew from Al Ain to Dubai, to meet Sheikh Rashid, who she'd seen 10 years earlier in London.

It was on the Monday that the queen formally opened Jebel Ali Port, along with a desalination port. “It is one of man's ancient dreams to turn the desert green and seawater fit for drinking,” she was quoted as saying by the newspaper Al Ittihad. “Here in Dubai, this dream will become reality.”

Queen Elizabeth ll appoints Sheikh Rashid bin Saeed, former Ruler of Dubai, a Knight Grand Cross of the Order of Saint Michael and Saint George, as part of her tour of the Gulf States, in Abu Dhabi, on February 25, 1979. Prince Philip stands to the back left of the image. Tim Graham Photo Library via Getty Images

Today, the port's four terminals accommodate the world's largest ships and about 10 per cent of the planet’s global container traffic passes through it. More than 8,000 companies hailing from over 100 countries are based there, according to the free zone, and it's created 135,000 jobs.

It stands as a benchmark of success now, but its construction was no easy feat. Land was reclaimed, roads were built and an entire village was created to accommodate the hundreds of workers who made it all happen.

What was once a small town on the outskirts of an exciting, burgeoning city has become a beacon of economic growth and, thanks to Expo 2020 Dubai, Al Maktoum International Airport and Dubai South, not to mention the UAE's coming Etihad Rail, is inching its way into the centre of the emirate's future.

Prince William, who this week embarked on his first official trip to the UAE, retraced her footsteps at the docks on Thursday, 43 years on.

The port's owner, DP World, along with Emirates and Etihad, is a major contributor to the Duke of Cambridge's United for Wildlife campaign to tackle a global criminal animal trafficking trade worth $150 billion. And so the British royal visited to see how customs officers tackle the illegal trade in wildlife, which is among the world’s five most lucrative crimes and is often run by highly organised criminal gangs.

Their demonstration, which the duke watched with an eagle eye, showed how the scale of the task facing Jebel Ali Port's workers has changed, but is no less significant more than four decades after Queen Elizabeth stepped foot there.

See photos from Prince William's first official UAE visit here:

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Ziina users can donate to relief efforts in Beirut

Ziina users will be able to use the app to help relief efforts in Beirut, which has been left reeling after an August blast caused an estimated $15 billion in damage and left thousands homeless. Ziina has partnered with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees to raise money for the Lebanese capital, co-founder Faisal Toukan says. “As of October 1, the UNHCR has the first certified badge on Ziina and is automatically part of user's top friends' list during this campaign. Users can now donate any amount to the Beirut relief with two clicks. The money raised will go towards rebuilding houses for the families that were impacted by the explosion.”

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Desert Warrior

Starring: Anthony Mackie, Aiysha Hart, Ben Kingsley

Director: Rupert Wyatt

Rating: 3/5

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MATCH INFO

Uefa Champions League semi-final, first leg
Bayern Munich v Real Madrid
When: April 25, 10.45pm kick-off (UAE)
Where: Allianz Arena, Munich
Live: BeIN Sports HD
Second leg: May 1, Santiago Bernabeu, Madrid

Timeline

2012-2015

The company offers payments/bribes to win key contracts in the Middle East

May 2017

The UK SFO officially opens investigation into Petrofac’s use of agents, corruption, and potential bribery to secure contracts

September 2021

Petrofac pleads guilty to seven counts of failing to prevent bribery under the UK Bribery Act

October 2021

Court fines Petrofac £77 million for bribery. Former executive receives a two-year suspended sentence

December 2024

Petrofac enters into comprehensive restructuring to strengthen the financial position of the group

May 2025

The High Court of England and Wales approves the company’s restructuring plan

July 2025

The Court of Appeal issues a judgment challenging parts of the restructuring plan

August 2025

Petrofac issues a business update to execute the restructuring and confirms it will appeal the Court of Appeal decision

October 2025

Petrofac loses a major TenneT offshore wind contract worth €13 billion. Holding company files for administration in the UK. Petrofac delisted from the London Stock Exchange

November 2025

180 Petrofac employees laid off in the UAE

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Classification of skills

A worker is categorised as skilled by the MOHRE based on nine levels given in the International Standard Classification of Occupations (ISCO) issued by the International Labour Organisation.

A skilled worker would be someone at a professional level (levels 1 – 5) which includes managers, professionals, technicians and associate professionals, clerical support workers, and service and sales workers.

The worker must also have an attested educational certificate higher than secondary or an equivalent certification, and earn a monthly salary of at least Dh4,000.