National Shipping Company of Saudi Arabia (Bahri), a global leader in transportation and logistics, has announced that the Ministry of Transport under the supervision of the Public Transport Authority (PTA) has completed the registration of Aslaf, a very large crude carrier (VLCC) owned and operated by Bahri, under the flag of Saudi Arabia.

The move reinforces Saudi Arabia’s position in the global maritime industry and gives a further boost to Bahri’s efforts to register all of its VLCCs, now numbering 39, under the national flag by the end of 2017, said a statement from the company.

Built by Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI) in South Korea, the 300,000-dwt Aslaf arrived in the kingdom yesterday, docking at Port of Ras Tanura near Dammam, where an official reception was hosted by the Ministry of Transport under the supervision of PTA, during which the vessel was formally registered and the national flag was raised aboard, it said.

The registration followed a series of meetings between officials from the Ministry of Transport, PTA and Bahri to clear the way for the vessel’s induction into the national maritime fleet, it added.

Bahri had taken delivery of Aslaf in July 2017 to continue its aggressive fleet expansion, and is set to add two more VLCCs to its fleet before the end of the year to reinforce its position as the world’s largest owner and operator of VLCCs.

Ali Al Harbi, acting CEO, Bahri, said: “Contributing to the economic growth of Saudi Arabia and enhancing the kingdom’s reputation and standing in the global transportation and logistics industry are at the heart of Bahri’s mission, and we are proud to be making continued progress toward these goals.”

“Our aim is to get all of our large and mid-size carriers registered under the national flag, which will help sharpen Bahri’s competitive edge in the market while contributing to an increase in bilateral maritime trade volume between Saudi Arabia and other global economies,” he added.

Hussein bin Khamis Al Ansari, director of the Port of Ras Tanura, said: “We have been watching Bahri’s evolution into a global transportation and logistics giant with great interest and pride.”

“Bahri and Saudi Ports Authority share a common vision for the continued growth of Saudi Arabia’s maritime sector, and we are committed to providing every possible support to them so they can reach new heights and keep doing our nation proud,” he said.

The Saudi Arabian flag is raised on cargo and passenger vessels after they are successfully registered with the Ministry of Transport and PTA. They are then inspected and checked regularly in accordance with the standards laid down by international classification authorities accredited by the kingdom, it stated. – TradeArabia News Service