King Abdullah Port joined Breakbulk Middle East 2022 as a participant and platinum sponsor for the fourth consecutive year, in its commitment to furthering the growth and development of the region’s project cargo and breakbulk industry.
Held at the Dubai World Trade Centre under the patronage of the UAE Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure, the two-day annual conference and exhibition attracted more than 1,700 companies representing the full industrial supply chain from over 70 countries. Central to King Abdullah Port’s support of Breakbulk Middle East 2022 was the participation of the port as an endorser to “Spotlight: Saudi Arabia” panel discussion, in which AM Steel, a non-containerized port operator at King Abdullah Port, showcased the port’s achievements and the latest industry dynamics.
A King Abdullah Port representative opened the session with a speech highlighting the port’s role in furthering Vision 2030 aspirations for global leadership in the logistics sector. He also hinted at the port’s integral role in providing bulk and project cargo logistics needs to various prestigious gigaprojects in the near future.
Jay New, CEO of King Abdullah Port, said: “We at King Abdullah Port take great pride in helping provide a platform for industry leaders and representatives who are just as excited and driven to further the region’s activities across transportation and logistics, renewable energy and manufacturing as we are. At the Saudi level, the exchanges of knowledge and expertise that this event facilitates are vital to achieving Vision 2030 objectives and making the Kingdom a global logistics hub.”
The session, moderated by Rafael Vicens, head of global projects and industry solutions MEA, DB Schenker Middle East, also featured Dr. Ibrahim Behairy, managing director, Middle East and Africa, Winterthur Gas and Diesel DMCC, and Sue Donoghue, CEO Arab Cluster, and managing director — Saudi Arabia, DHL Global Forwarding.
Delving deep into new and emerging trends in the logistics sector, the panel provided key updates on the development of various giga-projects within the Kingdom and the many opportunities that Vision 2030 offers for the breakbulk industry. Several forthcoming projects and their impact on key industrial sectors within the country were also highlighted.
Recently, King Abdullah Port recorded an outstanding 31 percent increase in container throughput, reaching 2,813,920 TEU compared to 2,153,963 TEU in 2020, and achieved a 15 percent increase in bulk and general cargo, reaching 3,834,915 tons compared to 3,329,380 tons in the previous year.
Owned by the Ports Development Company, King Abdullah Port is the region’s first port to be owned, developed, and operated by the private sector. Ranked as the world’s second most efficient port by the World Bank in 2020, the port emerged as one of the world’s top 100 ports within four years of operation. With its strategic location in King Abdullah Economic City — a modern city with a pro-business ecosystem and infrastructure — King Abdullah Port leverages the city’s advanced facilities and services, particularly the Industrial Valley, which has attracted many logistics projects as well as light and medium industries.
