RIYADH: The Saudi Standards, Metrology and Quality Organization (SASO) office at King Abdullah Port won the Innovative Sector Award at the Annual Innovation Symposium grand ceremony.
The event was held by SASO for the third year running under the patronage of Majid bin Abdullah Al-Qassabi, minister of commerce and investment and chairman of SASO. A number of innovative and top-performing SASO employees and retirees were honored. Bandar B. Aljad’ani, head of the SASO office at King Abdullah Port, thanked Sa’d U. Al-Qassabi, governor of SASO, and Mutlaq R. Attayyari, director of the SASO branch in Makkah. “Their support imparts the recognition this office deserves for its contributions to the national economy and the protection of consumers and the market,” he said. Abdullah Hameedadin, managing director of the Ports Development Company and owner and developer of King Abdullah Port, extolled the achievements of SASO’s office in the port.
“The relationship between King Abdullah Port and SASO goes back to 2014, the year the port commenced operations,” he said. “SASO was keen to provide its services to their users as easily as possible, and through our relationship, we felt just how strongly they believe in the role King Abdullah Port can play in achieving the objectives of Vision 2030, given its plans for strategic expansion to boost not only its capacity, but also its status in the national and international maritime arenas. King Abdullah Port is well on its way to becoming a hub for East-West shipping lines that connect Europe and Asia.”
King Abdullah Port had announced that its annual capacity had risen to 1.4 million TEU by the end of 2016, up 8 percent from that of 2015. The increase came despite challenging times in the market as global economies slowed down. As infrastructure work for berths 5 and 6 is now complete, capacity is set to jump and exceed 4 million TEU, as soon as equipment and operations come online later this year. This will give King Abdullah Port a stronger competitive edge and more access to the world’s and region’s important centers of business. 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.
