KAEC Seaport to contribute $2.6bn to Saudi GDP
The seaport which is part of the King Abdullah Economic City is expected to contribute $2.6bn to Saudi Arabia’s economy annually when it opens next year, an official associated with the project said on Sunday. Ahmed Linjawi, president of the city services and industrial division at Emaar, the company behind the development of the seaport, […]
The seaport which is part of the King Abdullah Economic City is expected to contribute $2.6bn to Saudi Arabia’s economy annually when it opens next year, an official associated with the project said on Sunday.
Ahmed Linjawi, president of the city services and industrial division at Emaar, the company behind the development of the seaport, told Arab News that the project would also create up 15,000 jobs.
“The first phase of the seaport will have a capacity of four million TEUs and will comprise of approximately four and half million kilometers of deep water berths capable of handling the largest cargo vessels in the world, as well as almost three quarters of a million square meters of container storage area, able to store over 80,000TEUs at any one time,” Linjawi explained.
He added that work on the seaport would continue following the scheduled opening, with the completion of the first phase scheduled for 2015.
Progress on the port is well underway, with more than 10 million m3 of dredging and excavation completed and nearly 800tns of concrete blocks ready to be utilized to construct the quay wall.
“We are also developing a roll out terminal for the import and export of automobiles and other moving equipment,” Linjawi added.
He told the Saudi Arabian newspaper that once the port was completed it would be one of the largest in the world, with an eventual capacity of around 20 million TEU per year.
“It will address the needs of the business community and coupled with the introduction of industry leading systems and practices, KAEC’s port will radically change the face of the logistics supply chain in Saudi Arabia and the GCC region.”
