MIDDLE EAST • SAUDI ARABIA


KAP already ranked one of world’s top 100 ports


experts have dubbed a ‘new normal’. Hammeedadin acknowledges the challenges but says that both the port’s geographical position and ownership model has acted as a real advantage during its first three years in operation.


King Abdullah Port: newcomer to sector with grand ambitions


King Abdullah Ports is not one of the traditional heavyweights in the grand old history of ports but just three years after opening its doors to the world all signs point to this new member of the industry taking on its well-established competitors.


King Abdullah Port is already ranked among the world’s top 100 ports, most recently coming in at number 98 worldwide, according to analyst Alphaliner. In the GCC, King Abdullah Port is ranked seventh, and in Saudi Arabia itself is ranked third, with data suggesting those rankings could climb yet still.


From 2015 to 2016, container throughput at the port increased by nearly 8%, with 1.4m teu handled in 2016. Vessel traffic increased by 14.4% over the same period, with 729 vessels calling at King Abdullah Port in 2016, utilising berthing/sailing services handled by the port’s partners at Specialised Marine Services.


‘The past year has witnessed many achievements at the port, all of which contribute to the numbers we have posted in terms of cargo handled and the number of ships


Visit: seatrade-maritime.com Seatrade Maritime Review • Quarterly Issue 2 • June 2017 55


calling,’ says managing director Abdullah Hameedadin.


‘By the end of 2016, King Abdullah Port had completed the infrastructure for Berth 5 and Berth 6, a major milestone in its strategic expansion plan. With the two new berths, the port’s annual capacity increased to over 4m teu, which is still just about a fifth of its ultimate capacity.’


Such success stories are welcome at a time when the industry is something in a state of flux, readjusting to what some


Abdullah Hameedadin, md


‘As the first port in the region to be privately owned and operated, King Abdullah Port has the flexibility to customize its tariffs and services to meet the needs of its users without battling an entrenched bureaucracy to do so,’ he tells Seatrade Maritime Review. ‘The port’s central location on the Red Sea is also a huge boon for its growth as this is one of the busiest shipping lanes in the world, with some 25% of the world’s container traffic plying the Red Sea.’


To help support its grand designs, the port sealed a of SAR2.7bn ($720m) financial agreement with Saudi banks SABB and ANB. The injection of funds has allowed the port to think big.


‘The two ro-ro berths are scheduled to open in 2017 and 2018 respectively. The inaugural ro-ro berth will stretch 280mtr in length with a capacity of 300,000ceu annually,’ says Hammeedadin.


‘Once all five berths are operational, the total quay length will be 1,420mtr with a depth of 14mtr, enough to handle any ro-ro ship on the seas today and for the foreseeable future. When completed, the five ro-ro berths will offer a total capacity of 1.5m ceu, the largest of any port in the region and the first dedicated berth on the Red Sea.’ 


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60  |  Page 61  |  Page 62  |  Page 63  |  Page 64  |  Page 65  |  Page 66  |  Page 67  |  Page 68  |  Page 69  |  Page 70  |  Page 71  |  Page 72  |  Page 73  |  Page 74  |  Page 75  |  Page 76  |  Page 77  |  Page 78  |  Page 79  |  Page 80  |  Page 81  |  Page 82  |  Page 83  |  Page 84  |  Page 85  |  Page 86  |  Page 87  |  Page 88  |  Page 89  |  Page 90  |  Page 91  |  Page 92  |  Page 93  |  Page 94  |  Page 95  |  Page 96  |  Page 97  |  Page 98  |  Page 99  |  Page 100