RIYADH: Infrastructure works for two new berths at King Abdullah Port in Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah Economic City will be finished in the next few weeks, significantly boosting capacity.
Berths 5 and 6 are part of the port’s expansion plan, which aims to significantly uprate the port’s capacity, thus boosting its standing in the maritime industry, both regionally and internationally, a statement said. “With the two new berths, the port’s annual capacity will rise to four million TEU as of the beginning of the first quarter of 2017,” said Abdullah Hameedadin, managing director of the Ports Development Company, the owner and developer of King Abdullah Port. “This will extend the port’s reach to the most important trade hubs in the region and the world, solidifying the roles of the private sector in general, and King Abdullah Port in particular, in achieving Vision 2030.”
Last year, King Abdullah Port’s annual throughput rose to 1.27 million TEU, making it the fastest growing port in the world according to a study recently conducted on over 120 container ports worldwide. This figure is expected to continue rising despite the challenges faced by the market and a slowing down of global economic growth.
The management of King Abdullah Port also said it expects to finalise the first phase of bulk cargo terminals with a capacity of three million tons, in addition to the RORO (roll-on/roll-off) terminals with a capacity of 300,000 CEU by the beginning of 2017. King Abdullah Port occupies a total area of 15 square kilometres. Once fully built, it will be able to handle 20 million containers (TEU), 1.5 million vehicles (CEU) and 15 million tons of clean bulk cargo every year.
