Suraiseri, Minister of Transport, has attributed congestion at Jeddah Islamic Port and King Abdul Aziz Port in Dammam to significant growth in global trade. Al-Suraiseri, speaking at the opening ceremony of the International Marine Festival in Jeddah, said the growth in trade meant a greater demand for materials than ships and support equipment could cope with. The ministry, he emphasized, had laid plans over the past three years to meet the increasing demand for services at Saudi ports. Short-term measures have included the reduction of procedural steps in Saudi ports from 16 to 6, the reorganization of docks at Jeddah Islamic Port, and the addition of container unloading docks, he said. Medium-term plans include a new export station, scheduled to open next year. It will add two million tons per year to the port's capacity and the addition of a fourth scanning machine. The minister said no ships were currently waiting at the port except barley vessels which can wait for long periods in the anchorage as per international practice. New measures are planned, however, to further facilitate their unloading. One of the two container terminals at the port has seven quays in which there are only four ships while the other quays are empty. Al-Suraiseri added on a side note that successful bids for the Al-Haramein Railways Project would be announced within the next two months. – Okaz __
