Yemen is a maritime nation par excellence. Although its surface area is less than 600,000 square kilometers (231,661 square miles), it has a 2,200-kilometer (1,367-mile) coastline on its west and south dotted by dozens of coastal towns, the most famous being Aden in the south on the Arabian Sea (which is connected to the Indian Ocean) and Hodeidah in the west on the Red Sea. Yemen’s most important ports are based in these two towns.
In 2008, the Yemeni government announced that Aden will witness an economic surge with the signing of a contract with Dubai Ports World (DP World) to manage the Port of Aden. However, the economic surge never happened.