King Abdullah port a hub for Saudi women’s empowerment

The King Abdullah Port, with a master plan of around SR20 million in investments and an aim to become the world’s largest port, has a promising future for Saudi women.
Forty-eight Saudi women are working in the control center, analysis, human resources, operations, administration, in the project supervisor’s departments at operational and owner companies, Mashaiel A. Al-Nifay, the safety engineer of projects at King Abdullah Port, told Arab News.
Al-Nifay said with the safe environment and accommodations complex for employees at the King Abdullah Economic City with the completion of the project, it has a number of job opportunities for women to be part of the Kingdom’s economy according to Vision 2030.
The infrastructure development of Berths 5 and 6 are to be completed in a few weeks, King Abdullah Port on Wednesday announced. The two berths are part of the port’s strategic expansion plan, which aims to significantly upgrade the port’s capacity, boosting its standing in the maritime industry, both regionally and internationally.
“With the two new berths, the port’s annual capacity will rise to 4 million TEU as of the beginning of the first quarter of 2017,” said Abdullah Hameedadin, managing director of the Ports Development Company, the owner and developer of King Abdullah Port.
“This will extend the port’s reach to the most important trade hubs in the region and the world, solidifying the roles of the private sector in general, and King Abdullah Port in particular, in achieving Vision 2030,” he added.
He also said that last year King Abdullah Port’s annual volume rose to 1.27 million TEU, making it the fastest growing port in the world according to a study recently conducted over 120 container ports worldwide. This figure is expected to continue rising, despite the challenges faced by the market and a slowing down of global economic growth.
He said the management of King Abdullah Port expects to finalize the first phase of bulk cargo terminals with a capacity of 3 million tons, in addition to the RORO (roll-on/roll-off) terminals with a capacity of 300,000 CEU by the beginning of 2017. This comes specifically after announcing the strategic move of signing a SR2.7 billion ($720 million) financial agreement with both SABB and ANB, which reflects the banking sector’s trust in King Abdullah Port.
Run by the Ports Development Company, King Abdullah Port is the Kingdom’s first port to be fully owned, developed and operated by the private sector. With its strategic location and state-of-the-art technologies, smart gates, and being managed by national and global experts who strive to offer the best possible services, King Abdullah Port has earned its place at the heart of the world’s major shipping lines, all within a solid plan that will bring to reality its vision of becoming one of the largest ports in the world, he said.