Saudi Gazette Red Sea Gateway Terminal (RSGT), Jeddah Islamic Port's flagship terminal, received on Thursday the largest environment-friendly container Vessel called "Al Nefud". ‘Al Nefud' with its sheer size of 400 m long, 60 m wide and 30 m deep — as deep as Zamzam well, can carry a cargo of 18,800 containers. The 18,800 TEUs (twenty-foot equivalent container units) capacity vessel was welcomed by Dr. Nabeel Al Amoudi, president of Port Authority, Aamer Alireza, CEO of Red Sea Gateway Terminal (RSGT) and Walid Al Dawod, chairman of the board of Arabian Marine Co who were also joined by a large number of top officials of Jeddah Islamic Port, businessmen and media representatives. During the reception ceremony, Dr. Nabeel expressed his gratitude to all parties involved in ensuring the smooth call of the ship. He said: "This substantial ship is further evidence of the scale of business now handled at Red Sea Gateway Terminal and reflects growing economic activity at Jeddah Islamic Port." He also attributed this service to the hard work, dedication and joint efforts of both Jeddah Islamic Port, Red Sea Gateway terminal and Arabian Marine Co. In his speech to commemorate the arrival of ‘Al Nefud', Aamer Alireza expressed pride in welcoming one of the largest container vessels in the world with energy efficiency and environmentally improved capabilities. "Receiving the ‘Al Nefud' represents another achievement for Red Sea Gateway Terminal, as it is the largest vessel and marking a new era in shipping here in Saudi Arabia as the most eco-friendly ship, energy efficiency and environmentally improved." He added: "Besides providing economies of scale due to its size, the vessel is also considered as the most energy-efficient ship in the world. Its innovative design and technological features will help reduce its carbondioxide emissions by more than 50 percent for every container it moves, compared to the industry average." Meanwhile, Al Dawod commented: "The new mega vessels are a major step forward for the company's fleet. It is significantly larger than the other ships, as it can carry more containers and it is considerably more efficient. The delivery of the new vessels will lay the foundation to positioning Arabian Marine Co. as a leading company in the years to come." Speaking during the occasion, Soren Hansen, managing director of RSGT, expressed pride in welcoming the largest environment-friendly container vessel which confirms the firm commitment in providing its clients with unparalleled level of service. "Delighted with the arrival of ‘Al Nefud'. The success of the run proved Red Sea Gateway Terminal is capable of handling the biggest the world has to offer and expect to receive more such cargoes in the future," he said. RSGT is located strategically along the Asia-Europe route, and is serving some of the biggest shipping lines and vessels in the world. RSGT is ideally connected to major ports around the world, serving vessels calling ports in Far East, Asia, the Gulf, Europe, Americas and the Red Sea.
