Dubai orders port evacuation

Dubai Ports International [DPI] has ordered the evacuation of the Ain al-Sokhna Port, ahead of an industrial dispute. Port authorities also tasked armed forces with guarding the port to enforce the evacuation and impose high-alert security in the surrounding area. Hundreds of workers are continuing protests, now into their seventh day running, over a lack of permanent and formal contracts after their appointments with DPI managers officially expired recently. Work at Ain el-Sokhna has since come to a complete standstill. DIP claimed it would hold workers responsible for “any incident,” adding that security forces would be held responsible in the event of a lack of enforcement of the evacuation order. Security did not enforce the evacuation, instead securing the port while workers formed informal groups at entrances and other key locations. Negotiations launched by DPI and sponsored by the Transport Minister and Red Sea Port Authority had previously failed.