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PSA International (formerly Port of Singapore Authority) has commenced operations at its new joint venture terminal in Dammam, Saudi Arabia at the King Abdul Aziz Port.
The terminal is the second to open at the port. Terminal one is run by Saudi Global Ports a joint venture between Public Investment Fund (PIF) of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and PSA.
The first vessel to call at terminal two was the 2,000-teu Niara, operated by Orient Express Lines (OEL), with 1,011-teu handled.
The terminal has been opened with six quay cranes and a 700m quay. Once fully developed, the terminal will have a capacity of 1.8m-teu per year.
“The completion and start-up of PSA’s first container terminal in Dammam testifies to PSA’s commitment to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia,” Tan Chong Meng, CEO of PSA, said in an emailed statement.
Abdul Rahman Mohammed Al Mufadhi, secretary-general of the Public Investment Fund, said the terminal would contribute to the diversification of the Saudi Arabian economy.
“The second container terminal in Dammam is commercially and strategically significant for the development of the Kingdom’s economy,” he said.
King Abdul Aziz Port is one of the leading seaports in Saudi Arabia, and part of a major marine infastructure investment plan by the government.
Saudi Arabia is also building King Abdullah Port, with a planned annual capacity of 3.7-million-teu, it will serve the King Abdul Economic City, a metropolis that will be roughly the same size as Washington, DC once completed.
