Chinese mega-vessel docks at Saudi Arabia’s Dammam port

Cosco Shipping’s Solar is 400 meters long, 59 meters wide and has a depth of 16 meters in the water. (Photo/Supplied)

• King Abdul Aziz Port can handle any type of cargo with its diverse capabilities and solid infrastructure

JEDDAH: Dammam’s King Abdul Aziz Port has received one of the world’s largest mega-vessels and the largest vessel in the history of Saudi ports.
Cosco Shipping’s Solar is 400 meters long, 59 meters wide and has a depth of 16 meters in the water. It has a capacity of 21,300 TEU (twenty-foot equivalent unit).
The port’s director-general, Waleed Al-Faris, said the ship’s arrival was proof that the Dammam facility was a global logistics destination.
“King Abdul Aziz Port can handle any type of cargo with its diverse capabilities and solid infrastructure. It has four terminals operated by the best in class port operation companies,” he said. “These include two container terminals. The first, operated by the International Port Services Co., has a capacity of 2.5 million containers TEU’s and a 16-meter depth with 10 berths totaling 2,160 meters in length. It has 17 bridge cranes and five of them are fully operated remotely. The second terminal, operated by the Saudi Global Ports Co., has a capacity of 1.5 million containers TEU’s with two berths totaling 700 meters in length and a 16.5-meter depth. It is equipped with six bridge cranes and has an additional 600,000 sq. meter area. The terminals are supported by a large number of mobile stackers and container cranes.”
The port has won international acclaim. These include the Most Innovative Ports 2018 and the Best Customer Service Awards 2018 at the International Finance Awards. It was also recognized in two categories at the Transport Arabia Excellence Awards 2017.
Earlier this year, the port welcomed CSCL Globe which, at the time of its launch in November 2014, was the largest container ship in the world.