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As a boy, the Persian Gulf was very far away but also a place I wanted to go to. Later in life, when working at sea, it felt very special to come from the Indian Ocean into the Arabian Sea, through the Gulf of Oman and into the Persian Gulf, and through the narrow Strait of Hormuz, where you can see both Oman and Iran. Going port along the coast of the U.A.E., you head practically right into the port of Mina Rashid, Dubai's main port at the time. I had arrived.

Today, Mina Rashid still operates, but Jebel Ali is Dubai's major port. The 9th biggest port in the world, it has over one million square meters of container yard space. It is also the world's largest man-made harbour. Expansion plans aim to make it the world's largest port, which is quite a fantastic achievement for a country that became independent as recently as 1971.

With a population of 9.4 million, the U.A.E. has a land area of 83,600km2. The 7 emirates – Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Sharjah, Ajman, Fujairah, Umm al-Qaiwain, and Ras al-Khaimah – have many ports, including major ports of the world.

In Abu Dhabi, Mina Zayed handles general cargo, Ro-Ro and cruise ships, and Khalifa port handles all container traffic. Sharjah emirate has two main ports: Mina Khalid is the only natural deep sea port in the U.A.E. and in the region and Khor Fakkan is Sharjah's container port.

The U.A.E. is a fantastic country and we are proud to be part of it. It is special every time a Ferryl drum is delivered in the U.A.E.!