KING Abdullah port, 85 miles north of Jeddah, saw its bulk and general cargo throughput rise to 2.98 million tons in 2019, a year-on-year increase of 333 per cent, after 85 cargo ships docked in the port last year, up from 57 ships in 2018.
The volume of import containers handled by the port in 2019 rose by 7.2 per cent to 203,670 TEU. However, negative market conditions led to a 12.2 per cent decline in annual container throughput, mainly due to the US-China trade row, together with a decrease in transshipment operations caused by recent changes in shipping lines, as they seek to conform with new regulations and systems that will be applied this year in emission control areas (ECAs).
In February 2019, King Abdullah port staged its most prominent event since its inception, when it was officially inaugurated by Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman. It was also ranked second in the list of the fastest-growing ports in the world in 2018 according to Alphaliner.
Run by the Ports Development Company, King Abdullah port is the region's first port to be fully owned, developed and operated by the private sector. Located on the Red Sea coast in King Abdullah economic city, the port occupies an area of 17.4 square kilometres and enjoys close proximity to the Saudi cities of Jeddah, Holy Makkah, Al Madinah and Yanbu.
At full build-out, the port will be capable of handling 20 million TEU and 15 million tons of bulk cargo annually. It has 18-metre berths, a smart gate system and multipurpose bonded and re-export zones.
WORLD SHIPPING
The volume of import containers handled by the port in 2019 rose by 7.2 per cent to 203,670 TEU. However, negative market conditions led to a 12.2 per cent decline in annual container throughput, mainly due to the US-China trade row, together with a decrease in transshipment operations caused by recent changes in shipping lines, as they seek to conform with new regulations and systems that will be applied this year in emission control areas (ECAs).
In February 2019, King Abdullah port staged its most prominent event since its inception, when it was officially inaugurated by Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman. It was also ranked second in the list of the fastest-growing ports in the world in 2018 according to Alphaliner.
Run by the Ports Development Company, King Abdullah port is the region's first port to be fully owned, developed and operated by the private sector. Located on the Red Sea coast in King Abdullah economic city, the port occupies an area of 17.4 square kilometres and enjoys close proximity to the Saudi cities of Jeddah, Holy Makkah, Al Madinah and Yanbu.
At full build-out, the port will be capable of handling 20 million TEU and 15 million tons of bulk cargo annually. It has 18-metre berths, a smart gate system and multipurpose bonded and re-export zones.
WORLD SHIPPING