King Abdullah Port, the first privately-owned commercial port in Saudi Arabia, has announced the arrival of its first liquid bulk shipments of fresh pasteurized milk for Almarai, the largest dairy company in the region.

Strategically located on the Red Sea coast on one of the world’s busiest maritime shipping lanes, King Abdullah Port has direct access to extensive transportation networks and urban centres.

King Abdullah Port, which is owned by the  is the first privately owned, developed and operated port in the Kingdom. It is characterized by its strategic geographic location and its integrated services using the latest state-of-the-art technology and utilizing local and international experts.

The milk shipment, which arrived from the Port of Moerdijk in Netherlands and weighs 265 tons, is the first of its kind to dock at Saudi ports, constituting a quantum leap for King Abdullah Port and for Saudi imports in general, said a statement from Ports Development Company, the owner and developer of the port.

Abdullah M. Hameedadin, the managing director of the Ports Development Company, said: "King Abdullah Port continues to achieve milestones that are fully in line with Vision 2030’s mandate to activate the role of the private sector in creating a more diverse, less oil-dependent economy."

"Such an economy would enhance the Kingdom’s global competitiveness and elevate its status among developed countries in economic and logistical fields, not to mention in the maritime transport sector, as well," he stated.

This comes following the company's plan to expand the port’s partnership with Almarai, which signed a contract with the port for loading, unloading and handling of its bulk cargo.

The arrival of this shipment is particularly important as Almarai is one of the most prominent investors in King Abdullah Economic City’s Industrial Valley, said the top official.

Hameedadin said the new milk shipment follows King Abdullah Port’s earlier success in receiving huge loads of equipment, weighing over 20 tons each, for the Rabigh 2 Independent Power Plant and through the port’s strategic partnership with Samsung.

The port has been listed as one of the world’s largest maritime shipping lanes, and its development plan is proceeding at a steady pace and with a clear vision towards becoming one of the world’s leading ports, he added.-TradeArabia News Service