DP World joint venture plans digitalised, autonomous ports

DP World has become the first strategic partner of SHIFFT, a joint venture managed by the Dubai Future Foundation (DFF) to develop, test and deploy autonomous technology for ports, terminals and logistics zones.

Primarily, this venture will introduce self-driving logistics in container terminals, starting in Jebel Ali Port, United Arab Emirates (UAE), but it will also focus on fleet management, intelligent routeing, digital twins and operational intelligence systems for ports.

UK-based Oxa is within the joint venture to provide its autonomous vehicle technology, while DP World will contribute its operational centres for trials and deployments.

There is potential to expand these deployments across DP World’s network of more than 60 ports and terminals worldwide.

Work will focus on a range of logistics solutions, including vehicle integration, autonomous driving capabilities, safety and assurance frameworks, fleet management and orchestration, traffic management and routeing.

It will also cover operations in complex mixed-use environments, digital twin capabilities, situational intelligence systems and operational performance optimisation.