Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah Port is ranked the fastest growing port in the world in a report issued by Container Management magazine, a British global leader in the maritime industry.

The report pointed out that King Abdullah Port’s success in achieving rapid growth comes in light of the challenges faced by the market and a slowing down of global economic growth, with the oil sector the most affected.

Abdullah M Hameedadin, managing director of the Ports Development Company, owner and developer of King Abdullah Port, said: “All thanks to Allah, King Abdullah Port was able to triple its throughput in 2015 to be ranked the fastest growing amongst the top 120 ports worldwide. This in turn enhances the port’s status and the Kingdom’s strategic commercial role.”

Hameedadin also praised the prominent role and outstanding efforts of all the partners in the operating sectors and their support for King Abdullah Port’s developmental journey, as well as the proud achievements the port accomplished in record time. He stated that the latter comes with the objective of the Saudi ports playing a leading role in advancing the national economy.

The second fastest-growing port in the world was Khalifa Port in Abu Dhabi, which increased its throughput noticeably, while throughput at its larger neighbour in Dubai grew by just 2 per cent.

King Abdullah Port was able to significantly enhance its capabilities and is currently moving towards important achievements in terms of the project’s development in general and the operations taking place. In 2015, the annual throughput in King Abdullah Port doubled, reaching 1.3 million TEU, while the annual handling capacity increased by 50 per cent, reaching 3 million TEU.

The management of King Abdullah Port expects to finalize the first phase of bulk cargo terminals with a capacity of 3 million tonnes, in addition to the RORO (roll-on/roll-off) terminals with a capacity of 300,000 CEU by the beginning of 2017. This comes specifically after announcing the strategic move of signing an SR2.7 million ($719,000) financial agreement with both SABB and ANB.

Run by the Ports Development Company, King Abdullah Port is the Kingdom’s first port to be fully owned, developed and operated by the private sector. With its strategic location and state-of-the-art technologies, all managed by national and global experts who strive to offer the best possible services, King Abdullah Port has earned its place at the heart of the world’s major shipping lines, all within a solid plan that will bring to reality its vision of becoming one of the largest ports in the world.

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 centres, 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 16 sq km and enjoys a 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.

Source: www.tradearabia.com