King Abdullah Port was an associate sponsor and a leading participant in the recently held TOC Middle East, a major regional and global event in maritime shipping, ports and terminal operations. TOC Middle East was held in Dubai and was attended by representatives of the region's ports and terminals managements, in addition to key personnel of the maritime transportation industry. King Abdullah Port had its own booth at TOC Middle East, where visitors were introduced to the port's latest achievements and the stages of development it has reached, as well as its various services offered and technologies employed. The exhibition booth's staff witnessed a remarkable interaction from visitors who showed great interest in the port's innovative work system. "TOC Middle East is undoubtedly one of the most important annual events that we are keen to participate in," said Abdullah Hameedadin, Managing Director of the Ports Development Company, owner and developer of King Abdullah Port. "We consider this event an ideal opportunity for us to cooperate and exchange knowhow and expertise with other ports and professionals in the maritime transportation industry. It also helps bolster the Kingdom's standing as a leading provider of shipping and logistics solutions on a global level. Events like this are vastly important not only in terms of King Abdullah Port's growth and prosperity, but to the industry at large." King Abdullah Port's presence at TOC Middle East was boosted by the attendance of Neville Bissett, General Manager of the Ports Development Company, who took part in a session titled "Latest on Regional Port & Terminal Development," which had been held as part of the Container Supply Chain Conference. In his presentation, Bissett gave an overview of King Abdullah Port as one of the Middle East's biggest infrastructure megaprojects. He also outlined the value it is set to add to the regional and global maritime transportation industry. He underlined Saudi Arabia's strategy of integration between the public and the private sector, and the competitive edge the Kingdom is set to gain by becoming the region's new logistics hub. He pointed out that the rise in the port's annual throughput is expected to top the 1.27-million-container throughput it had achieved in 2015 by the end of this year, which will be quite an achievement given the challenges faced by the market and a slowing down of global economic growth. "Work is underway to finalize the first phase of the bulk cargo terminals with a capacity of three million tons, in addition to the RORO (roll-on/roll-off) terminals with a capacity of 300,000 CEU by the beginning of 2017," Bissett noted. Run by the Ports Development Company, King Abdullah Port is the Kingdom's first port to be fully owned, developed and operated by the private sector. With its strategic location and state-of-the-art technologies, all managed by national and global experts who strive to offer the best possible services, King Abdullah Port has earned its place at the heart of the world's major shipping lines, all within a solid plan that will bring to reality its vision of becoming one of the largest ports in the world. — SG
