The verdict in three sentences
A corporate website for a port terminal operator in Dubai costs roughly 50,000 to 120,000 USD in 2026, a market order of magnitude, with a real-time vessel call dashboard fed from the port community system and the terminal operating system. Shipping lines and cargo owners look for verifiable berth capacity, gate hours, credible HSE commitments and a direct link to container tracking tools. Secure hosting with CDN runs 300 to 900 USD a month and the project takes 10 to 16 weeks.
What a shipping line or cargo owner checks on your site
A network planner at a carrier rethinking its Gulf rotation, or a supply chain director choosing between Jebel Ali, Khalifa Port and Salalah, reviews your site before any tender. They want precise data: quay length and draught, number and outreach of cranes, yard capacity, reefer plugs, links to free zones and road corridors, gate hours and container release times.
A terminal corporate site therefore combines a technical showcase (terminal sheets, maps, equipment), an institutional area (governance, ISO 9001, 14001 and 45001, ISPS security, decarbonisation and shore power), HSE and careers news, and client access to operational tools. Content ships in English and Arabic.
| Corporate site module | 2026 budget (USD) | Timeline | Primary audience |
|---|---|---|---|
| Strategy, structure, design | 8,000 - 18,000 | 3 - 4 weeks | Commercial leadership |
| Terminal and equipment sheets | 7,000 - 15,000 | 3 - 4 weeks | Shipping lines, cargo owners |
| Interactive berth and access map | 5,000 - 12,000 | 2 - 3 weeks | Forwarders, hauliers |
| ESG, HSE and certifications area | 4,000 - 10,000 | 2 weeks | Key accounts, authorities |
| News, media, careers | 4,000 - 10,000 | 2 weeks | Press, candidates |
| Arabic version with RTL | 5,000 - 15,000 | 2 - 3 weeks | Local authorities, partners |
| Real-time vessel call dashboard | 15,000 - 35,000 | 3 - 5 weeks | Forwarders, carriers |
| Extranet access and SSO | 2,000 - 5,000 | 1 - 2 weeks | Operational clients |
| Indicative total | 50,000 - 120,000 | 10 - 16 weeks |
Integrating vessel calls and the extranet without weakening security
Showing planned and current calls (vessel, ETA, ETD, berth) makes the site useful every day for forwarders. The data comes from the port community system and the terminal's TOS. The website must never query the TOS directly: it goes through a read-only intermediate API with caching that only exposes publishable information.
| Integration option | 2026 cost (USD) | Freshness | Risk level |
|---|---|---|---|
| Manually updated call table | 0 - 1,500 | Daily | Low, but data goes stale fast |
| Scheduled import from the PCS | 6,000 - 12,000 | 1 to 4 times per hour | Low |
| Real-time API through a secure gateway | 15,000 - 35,000 | Under 5 min | Medium, needs audit |
| SSO link to existing container extranet | 2,000 - 5,000 | Real time (third-party tool) | Low |
| Public container lookup by number | 4,000 - 9,000 | Under 15 min | Medium, limit fields |
For hosting, a terminal treated as critical infrastructure should use regional or approved hosting, a CDN with DDoS protection, a WAF and retained logs. Budget 300 to 900 USD a month, plus 200 to 500 USD of application maintenance.
Mini case study
Omar, commercial director of a container terminal in Dubai, sees his team answer about 120 requests a month on capacity, gate hours and call status, at 15 minutes each, so 30 hours. He launches an EN/AR corporate site at 85,000 USD with a real-time call dashboard, plus 600 USD of monthly hosting. If the site absorbs 60 % of those requests, the team frees 18 hours a month for business development. More importantly, winning one extra liner service at 4,000 moves a year with a handling margin of 45 USD per move brings 180,000 USD a year: a single contract pays for the site and two years of hosting.
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FAQ
How much does a port terminal website cost in Dubai?
Between 50,000 and 120,000 USD in 2026 for an EN/AR corporate site with a vessel call dashboard. A site without live data can start around 30,000 USD.
Can we show vessel calls in real time?
Yes, through a secure read-only gateway between the PCS or TOS and the website. An import every 15 minutes suits most forwarders and costs about half as much as true real time.
Which berth data should we publish?
Quay length, draught, number of cranes, yard capacity, reefer plugs and road or rail links. These 6 to 8 indicators answer most carrier questions.
Do we need specific hosting?
Regional or approved hosting with CDN, WAF and DDoS protection is recommended for critical infrastructure. The usual budget is 300 to 900 USD a month.
How long does the project take?
Between 10 and 16 weeks, including security and HSE sign-off. Collecting technical data from operations often takes 2 to 3 weeks on its own.
Let's scope your project. Describe your terminals, tools (PCS, TOS, extranet) and security requirements, and we will price the corporate site, the call integration and hosting. Detailed quote within 48 h. WhatsApp +221 77 596 93 33.
Mohamed Bah
Fondateur, Kolonell
Passionate about digital and entrepreneurship in Africa, Mohamed has been helping Sénégalese businesses with their digital transformation since 2020. Founder of Kolonell, he believes every SME deserves a professional and accessible online présence.
