DP World ready for immediate return to Venezuelan ports

Dubai’s global port operator DP World is ready to start operations in Venezuela “within 24 hours” if the situation changes following the capture of President Nicolas Maduro by the U.S., its chairman says.

“Tomorrow if there’s a cargo opportunity in Venezuela, we will go … We can start within 24 hours if we need to. We know the place very well, the teams, everybody,” Sultan bin Sulayem, DP World Chairman and Group CEO, told The National.

The container shipping and logistics giant previously ran terminal operations at Venezuela’s Puerto Cabello until 2009, when the military took over the country’s ports and airports under former President Hugo Chavez.

Since then U.S. sanctions have made it difficult to return.