King Abdullah Economic City, August 2017
King Abdullah Port announced the increase of its throughput to 821,694 TEU in the first half of 2017, representing an increase of around 14% compared to the same time last year, where the throughput was 720,483 TEU. The port also announced an increase in the number of vessels received during the same period, reaching 398 vessels compared to 349 in the first half of 2016, also representing a 14% increase.
In its report on the merchandise exports and imports of the Kingdom, the General Authority for Statistics revealed that the imports of King Abdullah Port increased by 60.7% in May 2017, increasing the value of imports to SR1,277 million compared to SR795 million in May 2016.
“These numbers clearly indicate the success of King Abdullah Port as the latest infrastructure megaproject in the Middle East,” said Eng. Abdullah M. Hameedadin, Managing Director of the Ports Development Company, owner and developer of King Abdullah Port. He continued: “King Abdullah Port is built according to state-of-the-art specifications and is designed and executed to cope with the Kingdom’s commercial and economic growth in the coming decades. With its advanced equipment and impressive numbers, the port is able to effectively contribute to the Kingdom’s prosperity and revival, fulfilling its desired role in contributing to the realization of Vision 2030.”
Hameedadin continued, “We are cooperating with all relevant entities to support the port’s progress and finalize all its facilities. For example, we recently announced the completion of building and equipping the central operating room for monitoring and linking together the x-ray customs inspection systems in the port. In addition, we also covered all customs inspection areas with a wireless network utilizing the latest global technology.”
“The project was successfully delivered to the Saudi Customs at King Abdullah Port, making the port a pioneer in equipping the central operations center and activating the 24-hour container inspection initiative,” he concluded.
In its report on the world’s top 100 container ports published in the first quarter of 2017, Alphaliner, the world’s leading port data analysis company, announced that King Abdullah Port made its way to the list in 98th place after increasing its annual throughput by around 8%, from 1.3 million TEU in 2015 to 1.4 million TEU in 2016.
King Abdullah Port is the first privately owned, developed and operated commercial port in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. It is characterized by its strategic location, integrated services, state-of-the-art technology and utilization of local and international experts in order to provide the best services. The port has been listed as one of the world’s largest maritime shipping destinations, with a development plan moving at a steady pace and a clear vision to become one of the top ports worldwide.
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About King Abdullah Port
Strategically located on the Red Sea coast on one of the world’s busiest maritime shipping lanes and with direct access to extensive transportation networks and urban centers, King Abdullah Port is the first fully privately owned, developed and operated commercial port in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
King Abdullah Port occupies a total area of 15 square kilometers and enjoys close proximity to King Abdullah Economic City’s Industrial Valley and the bonded zone. The port makes an increasingly important contribution to the Kingdom’s regional and global role in trade, logistics and shipping. Once fully built, King Abdullah Port will be able to handle 20 million containers (TEU), 1.5 million vehicles (CEU) and 15 million tons of clean bulk cargo every year.
With state-of-the-art processing facilities, the world’s deepest 18-meter water berths, expanding roll-on/roll-off operations, and a fully-integrated Port Community System, King Abdullah Port is capable of receiving today’s diverse mega cargo ships, fulfilling the growing needs of the young and fast-growing population of the Kingdom and the region.
King Abdullah Port is testament to the important role of the private sector in realizing Saudi Vision 2030 and is well on its way to meeting its goal of becoming one of the top ports worldwide.
