Dubai's fresh water was ideal for Ship's Boilers.
Ships called at Dubai to load fresh water for their boilers.
Dubai's fresh water had very low salts content.
Water was delivered to these ships waiting offshore by water barges towed from Dubai Creek.
Image by Len Chapman
Dubai has a long history of trading in the Gulf Region plus India, Iran and East Africa.
Sea going cargo ships of all nationalities arrived at Dubai and anchored offshore.
These ships discharged their cargoes into barges which were towed into Dubai Creek.
Barges unloaded at Dubaiside Customs Cargo Wharves.
These Wharves became redundant when Port Rashid opened in 1972
Construction of a new Diwan and Tourist facilities replaced the cargo facilities.
Image by Michael Hamilton-Clark
There is almost no trace of Dubaiside Cargo Wharves yet these wharves played a crucial role in Dubai's development as an international trading hub and port.
Built on land reclaimed from Dubai Creek in early 1960s, these wharves handled millions of tons of cargoes brought to Dubai by Ocean Liners.
These ships were too big to enter Dubai Creek so anchored offshore from Dubai and their cargoes discharged into barges. Loaded barges were towed into Dubai Creek to be unloaded at Dubaiside Customs Wharves
These cargoes were either stored in corrugated iron sheds on the wharfside or in open secured sand areas.
Sheikh Rashid had awarded the contract to transport cargoes between the ships and Dubai Customs Wharves to Gray Mackenzie and Company.
Their tugs and barges became a familiar sight on Dubai Creek.
Dubai's Customs Department operated Dubai's Cargo Wharves.
Dubai Customs managed the document procedures relating to import, storage and delivery of cargoes. Dubai's Custom's procedures had undergone a radical change in the 1950s.
Prior to then, Dubai's Customs suffered from maladministration resulting in loss of Customs' revenues.
Sheikh Rashid appointed William Duff as its Customs Inspector General around 1954. Bill Duff changed the way business was done in Dubai, streamlining procedures to make importing cargoes easier for Traders and Merchants and increasing Dubai Government Customs' revenue.
Benefits of those changes continued through to the 1980s until containerisation arrived and necessitated new electronic based procedures.
Barges were originally unloaded manually by Labourers. It was a slow process.
Sheikh Rashid ordered a dockside crane from Scotland to speed up unloading. Heavier loads could be lifted with the crane. The crane was manually operated so operations were still slow. Later more modern powered Mobile Cranes were purchased from Al Nasr Engineering Company to discharge barges.
Once discharged, cargo was stored in open sand areas without protection from the elements. Four wheel drive Forklift Trucks moved cargoes in the sand areas. Originally designed for working on construction sites, these Forklift trucks appear to have been a preferred alternative to hard surfacing the storage areas, probably based on cost.
More delicate cargoes were put into storage sheds. Damaged goods were stored in a dedicated “Damaged Goods” Shed. These damaged goods were usually "unclaimed" by the Importer and remained in the Damaged Goods Shed for years.
By 1971 the Damaged Goods Shed was an "Aladdin's Cave" of valuable items such as fur coats, medicines, leather goods, children's toys, machinery parts. These were sold off at a "onetime" auction prior to closure of the wharves in 1972.
Merchants collected their cargoes from the Creek Customs Area for temporary storage in their nearby “Godowns” or Warehouses. Generally these cargoes were sold for export and transported from Dubaiside to the Deiraside Dhow Wharves for overseas shipment. Opening of the Al Maktoum Bridge in 1963 made transportation between Dubaiside and Deiraside easier and contributed significantly to Dubai's growth as a Trading Centre.
Port Rashid's informal opening in November 1970 began to remove the need for the Dubaiside Cargo Wharves. Ocean Liners could now berth in Port Rashid to easily discharge their cargoes.
Traders and Merchants could get delivery of their cargoes in Port Rashid and transport to their Godowns.
By 1972 Port Rashid had 15 Berths and been formally opened by Sheikh Rashid. These Dubaiside storage sheds and area became redundant. What had previously been the hub of Dubai's trade became the site for the new Diwan (Dubai Government's Administration Complex). Storage Sheds and offices were demolished together with some Bastakia Windtower Buildings to make way for Dubai's modern Diwan.
Only the Dockside Crane remains. It was refurbished in the 1990s as a memorial to Dubai's Creekside Customs Wharves that played such an important role in Dubai's development.
