Singapore-listed port operator, PSA International, has started up a new terminal in Dammam, the capital of Eastern Province, Saudi Arabia.
The terminal operation was commenced by Saudi Global Ports (SGP), a joint-venture company formed between the Public Investment Fund (PIF) of Saudi Arabia and PSA.
It is the second container terminal operating in King Abdul Aziz Port, a key gateway port on the Gulf. Currently, the SGP terminal has 16 m of water depth, the deepest in the region, and is equipped with six quay cranes of 23 container row spanned on 700 m of quay, as part of its phase-one development. When the SGP terminal is fully developed, it will have a quay length of 1,200 m and 12 quay cranes, with a design capacity of 1.8 million teu per annum.
The SGP terminal has also handled its first commercial vessel on 23 April, Niara, owned by Dubai-headquartered Orient Express Line. At the time, the terminal handled 1,011 teu on this 2,000 teu capacity vessel.
Abdul Rahman Mohammed Al Mufadhi, secretary general of the PIF, deemed that the opening of the second container terminal in Damman as “strategically significant” for the development of the country’s economy.
“The completion and start-up of PSA’s first container terminal in Dammam testifies to PSA’s commitment to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia,” said Tan Chong Meng, group CEO of PSA, highlighting the importance of the gateway port that helps to grow regional trade and business activities.
This post was sourced from IHS Maritime 360: View the original article here.
