The UAE's freight transport sector is forecast to continue to see healthy growth in 2012 and beyond, BMI said, noting that the sector continues to invest in expanding ports and developing new infrastructure, such as its first rail network. The country serves as a key freight transport hub for global trade, which is helping drive this growth forward, BMI added. However, it also noted that the global headwinds from a weak recovery in the West could threaten this outlook. Jebel Ali and Port Rashid total tonnage throughput growth would grow at 6.6 percent in 2012, and would average 5.7 percent to 2016. Air freight tons through Dubai airport forecast would grow by 5.7 percent and average 5.3 percent to 2016. The UAE's total trade real growth in 2012 is forecast to be 8.4 percent, and to average 7.1 percent over the medium term to 2016. BMI said the development of the Arabian Peninsula's rail network continues apace, with two new developments announced in September. The region has traditionally been bereft of railways, BMI added, however, in the past few years a number of projects have been launched across the region, offering considerable upside potential to the rail freight sector. The Dubai port of Jebel Ali - the seventh largest container facility in the world in 2009 according to Cargo Systems' top 100 rankings - has announced plans for a further capacity extension that would raise its annual capacity to 15 million twenty
