Port Of Jeddah, Saudi Arabia

Port of Jeddah is the major port for Saudi Arabia and the capital of the Makkah Province. Located on the country’s central western coast on the Red Sea west of Mecca, Jeddah is one of Saudi Arabia’s largest cities and the diplomatic country’s capital, home to many foreign embassies and the country’s ministry of foreign affairs. Jeddah Islamic Port is the gateway to the holy city of Mecca. More than 3.4 million people live in the Jeddah Islamic Port and city.

At one time, the city’s economy depended on pilgrims and fishing. With long history of trading, Jeddah (also spelled Jiddah) is home to many of the most successful businesses and merchants in the world. Today, it is Saudi Arabia’s commercial capital. It is also well-positioned between the Africa and the Middle East, making it a commercial center for the subcontinent as well. It is also the country’s third busiest industrial city.

Saudi Arabia is the world’s major oil exporting country, and it has the Middle East’s largest, most diverse economy. The country depends on ports like Jeddah Islamic Port to distribute its many industrial exports. In 1976, the independent body of the Saudi Ports Authority was created to develop and improve all the country’s ports. Prior to that, different bodies managed Saudi Arabia’s ports under different rules. The Saudi Ports Authority re-organized the ports and vastly improved their efficiency.

Almost all (95%) of the country’s exports (excluding crude oil) and imports move through seaports like Jeddah Islamic Port. In 1997, the Saudi Ports Authority began to move management, operations, and maintenance responsibilities to the private sector. Today, the private sector operates the country’s ports, including Jeddah Islamic Port, and the Saudi Ports Authority supervises them.

Jeddah Islamic Port is strategically located at the crossroads of the east-west international shipping route. Serving the holy cities of Medina and Mecca, almost 60% of Saudi Arabia’s ocean-going imports come through Jeddah Islamic Port.

The modern Jeddah Islamic Port was born when its existing facilities were expanded in 1976 from 10 working berths to the 58 internationally-oriented berths that operate today. With a congestion-free harbor and 11.2 kilometers of deep-water quays with depths reaching 16 meters, Jeddah Islamic Port can accommodate the latest and largest vessels, including container vessels carrying 6500 TEUs.

Jeddah Islamic Port can handle any type of cargo at one of its highly-specialized cargo terminals. Dedicated terminals serve containers, bulk grains, bulk edible oils, roll-on/roll-off cargo, general cargo, livestock, frozen and chilled cargo, and passengers. Jeddah Islamic Port is equipped with a large marine fleet that includes salvage tugboats, fire-fighting boats, and specialized pollution-abatement vessels.

In addition to the standard cargo-handling equipment, Jeddah Islamic Port has a floating crane with capacity for 200 tons of cargo. Jeddah Islamic Port also has many purpose-built workshops. Seven cargo-handling equipment workshops serve the port, and there are also individual workshops for civil, electrical, and electronic engineering as well as a workshop for marine equipment.

The King Fahad Ship Repair Yard at Jeddah Islamic Port has state-of-the-art facilities for maintaining and repairing vessels and for building small craft. With two floating docks, the ship yard can accommodate vessels to 45 thousand tons. Two additional berths of 170 meters each can accommodate vessels to 60 thousand tons.
With 58 berths, Jeddah Islamic Port can handle any type of specialized cargo. Jeddah Islamic Port has 22 general cargo berths (at the North and South terminals). The Roll-on/Roll-off and Passenger Terminal has ten berths. Jeddah Islamic Port has 11 container berths (seven at the South Container Terminal and four at the North Container Terminal). The Bulk Grain Terminal has seven berths, and the Bulk Edible Oil & Bulk Sugar Terminal has two berths. The Chilled and Frozen Cargo Terminal has four berths, and the Livestock Terminal has two berths.

Jeddah Islamic Port covers a total of 900 hectares that includes 250 hectares for storage including 210 hectares of open storage and 40 hectares of covered storage. The covered storage includes 59 warehouses and transit sheds as well as tanks for edible oils and silos for grains and rice.

Under 10- and 20-year leases that include acquiring new equipment and upgrading facilities, the private sector is responsible for managing, operating, and maintaining the berths at these locations:

• King Fahad Ship Repair Yard
• Roll-on/Roll-Off and Passenger Terminal
• Bulk Grain Terminal
• North and South Container Terminals
• North Terminal for General Cargo
• South General Cargo and Livestock Terminals
• Marine craft and navigation channel

In 2008, Jeddah Islamic Port handled a total of 45.7 million tons of cargo, including 30.9 million tons of exports and 14.8 million tons of exports. Jeddah Islamic Port also welcomed 448 thousand passengers, 195.7 thousand arriving and 252.3 thousand departing the port.

By far the largest cargo category was containers, with Jeddah Islamic Port handling a total of 34.4 million tons of containerized cargo, including 20.2 million tons (in 1.7 million TEUs) of imports and 14.2 million tons (in 1.6 million TEUs) of exports. Roll-on/roll-off cargo and vehicles accounted for 1.5 million tons, 1.4 million tons being imports. Jeddah Islamic Port imported 5.8 million tons of solid bulk cargo and 277 thousand tons of liquid bulk cargo (excluding crude oil). Jeddah Islamic Port handled 3.5 million tons of general cargo, 3.1 million tons being imported, and 156.7 thousand tons of livestock.

Of the total 45.7 million tons of cargo handed by Jeddah Islamic Port in 2008, 18.1 million tons was classified as other cargo. Food and foodstuffs accounted for 10.0 million tons, 9.5 million of which was imports. Jeddah Islamic Port imported 6.7 million tons of construction materials and 3.8 million tons of consumer goods. The port imported 1.5 million tons and exported 153.3 thousand tons of vehicles. Other exports included refined products (1.5 million tons), petrochemicals (1.3 million tons), empty containers and chassis (1.2 million tons), industrial products (1.1 million tons), recycling material (382.7 thousand tons), and liquefied gas (3.6 thousand tons).