🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates imports of ships: 2024 trade data
In 2024, the United Arab Emirates imported ships worth $1.29 billion (641.9 thousand tonnes). Its share of world imports was 2%. Value rose 5% on 2023. Over 2017-2024 the trade grew strongly, by about 34% a year on average.
Public statistics, latest reported year 2024. Values in US dollars.
Imports of ships by year, 2017-2024
Hover or tap a year for detail.
Year by year
| Year | Value | Quantity |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $1.29B | 641.9K t |
| 2023 | $1.23B | 542.6K t |
| 2022 | $947.2M | 439.9K t |
| 2021 | $433.0M | 187.2K t |
| 2020 | $224.8M | 213.8K t |
| 2019 | $402.1M | 186.8K t |
| 2018 | $258.9M | 39.0K t |
| 2017 | $166.7M | 67.0K t |
Where the United Arab Emirates imports ships from
Most of the value came from India (36%), Saudi Arabia (31%), China (18%). Among the main suppliers, China grew fastest, more than tenfold on the year before.
| Supplier country | Value | Share |
|---|---|---|
| 🇮🇳 India | $461.0M | 36% |
| 🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia | $397.4M | 31% |
| 🇨🇳 China | $238.1M | 19% |
| 🇰🇷 South Korea | $31.2M | 2.4% |
| 🇨🇮 Cote d'Ivoire | $27.1M | 2.1% |
| 🇨🇾 Cyprus | $23.0M | 1.8% |
| 🇩🇪 Germany | $22.7M | 1.8% |
| 🇹🇷 Turkey | $21.7M | 1.7% |
| 🇸🇬 Singapore | $19.1M | 1.5% |
| Taiwan | $17.9M | 1.4% |
Types of ships under HS 8901
| 8901.90 | Vessels: n.e.c. in heading no. 8901, for the transport of goods and other vessels for the transport of both persons and goods | 57% |
| 8901.20 | Tankers | 38% |
| 8901.10 | Cruise ships, excursion boats and similar vessels, principally designed for the transport of persons, ferry boats of all kinds | 4.8% |
Codes and full descriptions: HS heading 8901.
Average import price of ships
The average declared value was about $2.01 per kg, 21% below the world average of $2.55, which often means bulk or lower-grade product.
Declared value divided by weight, all 2024 shipments. Prices per shipment and per company are in EximDataX.
The United Arab Emirates also exports ships
In 2024, the United Arab Emirates exported ships worth $22.8 million (15.7 thousand tonnes). Most of it went to India (42%), Saudi Arabia (32%), Angola (11%). Among the main buyer markets, Nigeria grew fastest (+179% on the year before).
| Destination | Value | Share |
|---|---|---|
| 🇮🇳 India | $9.6M | 42% |
| 🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia | $7.3M | 32% |
| 🇦🇴 Angola | $2.6M | 11% |
| 🇳🇬 Nigeria | $1.2M | 5.1% |
| 🇲🇻 Maldives | $997K | 4.4% |
| 🇰🇼 Kuwait | $435K | 1.9% |
| 🇶🇦 Qatar | $284K | 1.3% |
| 🇺🇬 Uganda | $202K | 0.9% |
| 🇸🇨 Seychelles | $145K | 0.6% |
| 🇳🇱 Netherlands | $37K | 0.2% |
Who is behind these numbers in the United Arab Emirates?
Public statistics stop at country totals and the last published year. EximDataX shows the shipment records underneath: the companies, dates, quantities and declared values, updated weekly.
Shipment records are in the platform
Tell us what you trade and we will show you the latest records on a live call.
Mirror data: built from the shipment records of the countries that trade with it.
Updated weekly on EximDataX (some markets daily), while public statistics stop at 2024.
Source: CEPII BACI (reconciled UN Comtrade data), HS 2017 edition, release 202601, Etalab Open Licence 2.0. Annual values in US dollars at the customs border; quantities in tonnes where reported. HS 8901: Cruise ships, excursion boats, ferry-boats, cargo ships, barges and similar vessels for the transport of persons or goods.
Ships trade in the United Arab Emirates: questions
What is the value of ships imported by the United Arab Emirates?
The United Arab Emirates imported ships worth $1.29 billion in 2024 (641.9 thousand tonnes).
Where does the United Arab Emirates import ships from?
The main supplier countries in 2024 were India (36%), Saudi Arabia (31%), China (18%).
What is the average import price of ships in the United Arab Emirates?
The average declared import value was about $2.01 per kg in 2024, against a world average of $2.55 per kg.
Does the United Arab Emirates export ships?
Yes. The United Arab Emirates exported ships worth $22.8 million in 2024, mainly to India, Saudi Arabia, Angola.
What is the HS code for ships?
Ships falls under HS heading 8901 (Cruise ships, excursion boats, ferry-boats, cargo ships, barges and similar vessels for the transport of persons or good). The six-digit codes under it split the product by type.
How can I find the companies trading ships with the United Arab Emirates?
These public statistics stop at country level. EximDataX builds the United Arab Emirates trade from the records of its trading partners, updated weekly, so you can see who ships this product there.
Ships trade in other countries
More trade data for the United Arab Emirates
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