Jeddah Islamic Port sees heavy container traffic

The Jeddah Islamic Port (JIP) has marked 2013 with a heavy container traffic. The port handled 4.68 million tons of incoming and outgoing containers with 60.38 million tons of goods during 2013, according to an official of Saudi Ports Authority.
Sahir Tahlawi, director general of the JIP, said the volume of foodstuffs handled stood at 12.68 million tons, construction materials reached about 10.22 million tons and barley imports hit 3.8 million tons.
He stated that the handling process of various goods for import and export was carried out by ships of various types and sizes at the port.
Referring to other issues, he said the refloating of the floating aquarium No. 1 in JIP, which sank in the sea earlier, took 15 days. The basin is 230-meter long and 45-meter wide.
Tahlawi added: "Zamil Offshore Services, with the help of a group of engineers and specialized labor in coordination with the concerned insurance company, completed the process of refloating the aquarium under the supervision of the port management.
"The JIP is still maintaining the prestige and competitiveness in the global shipping market, as a result of its ability to receive a growing number of all types of ships from all over the world, and handling all kinds of goods for export and import," he said.
The JIP has been ranked as one of the most important international ports. It has a number of achievements to its credit and significantly grown in its activities, especially in the handling of general cargo and containers. It has established a track record of delivering imports to their owners around the clock.
The port conducts clearance procedures for container ships through its three terminals - northern, southern and Red Sea Gateway. Its northern and southern support terminals have 62 berths that receive all kinds of ships, including giant container ships and new generation 367 meter long ships.