King Abdullah Port in Saudi Arabia handled 1.307 million TEU (twenty foot equivalent unit) containers in 2015, the port’s second year of operations, said a top official.

King Abdullah Port, the first privately developed and managed port in the Kingdom and the region, also opened its fourth berth in May 2015, increasing its capacity to over 2.7 million TEUs as per its Masterplan, explained Abdullah bin Muhammad Hameedaddin, managing director of the Ports Development Company, owners, developers and managers of the port.

Hameedaddin pointed out the significant role of the advanced capabilities available in King Abdullah Port, such as the 18-meter deep berths, as well as the massive storage spaces and the latest state-of-the-art equipment, which enables the port to contribute to the Kingdom's economic development by offering the finest services in the shipping industry.

Earlier in 2015, King Abdullah Port signed a partnership agreement with NYK Group, one of largest car shipping companies in the world. The partnership will result in operating the King Abdullah Port's first ro-ro berth, which has the capacity to transport 300,000 cars per year, and will be the first of its kind in the region to be operated by NYK Group through joint management by the third quarter of 2016.

Hameedaddin expects NYK's management of the ro-ro berth to take part in diversifying the services offered by King Abdullah Port, alongside the services of transporting containers and goods. Completion of the first phase for the station designed for bulk cargo and RO/RO (cars) is estimated to be finished by the third quarter of 2016.

In March 2015, King Abdullah Port also succeeded in attracting Maersk Line, which is the world's largest cargo transport and container shipping company. More recently King Abdullah Port also attracted UASC. – TradeArabia News Service