Gulftainer and Sharjah authority plan 150-hectare multimodal hub linking Khorfakkan Port to GCC rail network

Gulftainer, in partnership with the Sharjah Ports, Customs and Free Zones Authority, has announced the Al Dhaid Multi-Modal Trade Corridor. The 150-hectare inland facility, with a 1.5 million TEU annual capacity, is designed to connect deep-water port operations with the Etihad Rail network to serve the broader Arabian Peninsula.

A major logistics infrastructure project has been unveiled for the Emirate of Sharjah, led by port operator Gulftainer and backed by the Sharjah Ports, Customs and Free Zones Authority. According to official disclosures, the planned Al Dhaid Multi-Modal Trade Corridor will span 150 hectares and is engineered for an annual throughput capacity of 1.5 million twenty-foot equivalent units.

The site is positioned approximately 50 kilometers from Khorfakkan Port, a strategically located deep-water facility on the UAE’s East Coast. The corridor is conceived as an inland extension of the port’s capacity, creating a unified logistics ecosystem that links maritime freight with the Etihad Rail network. This integration is designed to enable high-volume freight transit into Saudi Arabia and Oman, effectively serving as a supply chain core for the Gulf Cooperation Council region.

The development will incorporate a large inland container yard, an empty depot, and a container freight station for consolidating diverse cargo types. A key operational feature is a planned 'Single-Window' clearance environment intended to streamline administrative processes. The facility is being designed to meet environmental, social, and governance standards with fully digitalized operations.

Gulftainer, a privately owned port management and logistics company headquartered in the UAE, operates terminals and provides supply chain solutions across multiple continents. The Sharjah Ports, Customs and Free Zones Authority is the government body overseeing the emirate’s maritime and trade infrastructure.

The project’s structure as a public-private partnership signals a continued push to position Sharjah as a critical node in regional trade. For businesses relying on Middle East logistics corridors, the hub promises to reduce inland drayage costs and offer an alternative, derisked routing option by connecting sea freight directly to rail. This inland corridor, together with the recently launched Sajaa Dry Port, forms part of a broader network strategy to extend the commercial reach of Sharjah’s port infrastructure deep into the GCC market, potentially altering competitive dynamics for cargo flow between regional ports and inland destinations.