The Emirati ship "MSC-PARIS" docked, Monday morning, in the Israeli port of Haifa, becoming the first Emirati ship to arrive in Israel, according to UAE media reports.
"A historic moment in Haifa Port: the first cargo ship coming from the UAE entered Israel this morning," the Israeli Foreign Ministry said in a tweet on its official Twitter account.
“Thus, the first commercial maritime line between the United Arab Emirates and Israel has just been opened," the Israeli ministry added.
The Israeli Public Broadcasting Authority stated that the ship arrived Haifa Port directly from the Jebel Ali port in Dubai.
It pointed out that the ship is loaded with goods. It also expected that more ships will arrive in the next stage.
Late August, the UAE formally ended the country’s boycott of Israel amid a U.S.-brokered deal to normalize relations between the two countries.
On September 15, the UAE and Israel signed a peace agreement, amid international welcome. The UAE is the third Arab nation after Egypt and Jordan to currently have diplomatic relations with Tel Aviv.
Israel expects that the volume of trade with the UAE will reach $4 billion annually.
Weeks ago, the Jebel Ali Free Zone (JAFZA), the flagship facility in the Dubai World portfolio, the leading center for business and logistics in the United Arab Emirates, and the Federation of Israeli Chambers of Commerce signed a strategic agreement as part of their efforts to support the business sector and encourage economic cooperation.
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