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Earlier this month, the Governor of Makkah region, His Royal Highness Prince Khalid Al-Faisal, toured King Abdullah Port, the first port to be fully owned, developed and operated by the private sector in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and also the Middle East. During his visit he was able to see firsthand some of the innovations and developments underway and planned.
This included the new Single Window building and the Smart Gates, which regulate the access and departure of trucks using computerised technology. These are expected to be fully operational by the fourth quarter of this year.
His Royal Highness was given a detailed presentation on the King Abdullah Port’s Command and Control Centre, where more than 90 Saudi women plan and supervise the port’s operations, as part of the King Abdullah Port’s vision to empower women and employ them in various sectors.
During the visit, the Ports Development Company, which owns and operates the port signed a financing agreement with SABB and the Arab National Bank. It also signed an agreement with Huta Marine Works, for the latter to continue its development work at King Abdullah Port.
During 2015 the port handled a record 1.3 million teu throughput with a fourth berth coming online in May last year. King Abdullah Port is in the process of readying two more berths, boosting its annual capacity to over 4 million teu. King Abdullah Port is also looking to bring online its first ro-ro berth, to be jointly operated with NYK, with an annual capacity of 300,000 vehicles per year, while plans are also underway to open a first berth for bulk goods, which will be able to handle three million tons.
