National Shipping Company of Saudi Arabia (Bahri), a leader in logistics and transportation, showcased its extensive range of innovation-driven services and solutions at the Breakbulk Middle East 2018, which concluded yesterday (February 7) in Abu Dhabi, UAE.

Bahri Logistics, one of the top 10 breakbulk carriers in the world and one of the six business units within Bahri, highlighted its offerings at the only exhibition and conference in the region specifically for the project cargo and breakbulk industry.

Ahmed Al Ghaith, president, Bahri Logistics, said: “We have been witnessing a significant expansion in business growth and market presence on the back of increasing demand for maritime shipping solutions globally.”

“The event offers us an excellent opportunity to connect with our stakeholders and potential customers to build on the momentum to pursue our long-term growth plans. We also find this as a wonderful opportunity to understand market needs, and closely collaborate with our partners to develop new services and solutions that exceed customer expectations,” he added.

Bahri has reached numerous milestones over the past year, such as the opening of its new international offices in Houston (US) and Mumbai (India), and the addition of Alexandria as its third direct port call in Egypt after Suez and Port Said, said a statement.

During the year, Bahri also expanded its already strong multi-purpose fleet by adding five very large crude-oil carriers (VLCCs) and, in addition, it signed an agreement to purchase four bulk carriers from Hyundai Mipo Dockyard, a member of Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI) Group, which owns one of the largest state-of-the-art shipyards in the world. The company added two more VLCCs in 2018, bringing the number of the company’s VLCC fleet to 43 and the total fleet to 90.

Furthermore, Bahri Data, another business unit within Bahri, has teamed up with DNV GL, the world’s leading classification society and recognised advisor for the maritime industry, to co-develop and jointly leverage their Big Data capabilities for safety, quality, and compliance innovation.

Al Ghaith continued: “We have always been at the forefront of technology and innovation to deliver exceptional services and solutions, driving greater value for our stakeholders.”

“Creating new standards of excellence in quality, safety, and customer satisfaction, we have set examples for others to follow and we will continue to strive to bring transformative changes in the maritime industry,” he added.

Bahri has aligned its business strategy to Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 to support the country in achieving its economic goals. The company has identified the government’s diversification plans as a priority to help the country increase private sector’s contribution and the share of non-oil exports to its gross domestic product (GDP).

Al Ghaith said: “We remain firm in our commitment to Vision 2030 and we continue to leverage our capabilities and industry-leading solutions to help the Kingdom raise its global ranking in logistics performance as envisioned in the ambitious roadmap to the future.”

“Similarly, we will continue to enhance our capabilities to deepen our presence in the regional and global markets to capitalise on new growth opportunities and further reinforce Bahri’s leadership credentials in the global maritime sector, thereby contributing toward our kingdom’s economic prosperity and its endeavours to establish itself as a world’s leading hub of transportation and logistics,” he added. – TradeArabia News Service