It was announced in week ending 17 September by Hutchison Ports simultaneously in  Jazan, Saudi Arabia and Hong Kong, China, that on 7 September HRH Prince Mohammed bin Nasser bin Abdulaziz, the Governor of Jazan Region, inaugurated the Port of Jazan City for Primary and Downstream Industries (JCPDI Port), in the presence of HRH Prince Mohammed bin Abdulaziz, the Deputy Governor, and the Minister of Industry and Mineral Resources, the Minster of Investment as well as other high ranking government and private-sector officials.

HE the President of the Royal Commission for Jubail and Yanbu (RCJY*), Eng. Khalid Al-Salem praised the achievements made at JCPDI and revealed that a range of investments and partnerships had been inaugurated recently with many local and international partners, including the establishment of the Saudi Silk Road Company to attract Chinese industrial investments to the Kingdom, the investment and operation agreement with Hutchison Ports, as well as the agreement to establish an alumina refinery with Hangzhou Jinjiang with an investment capital estimated at 4 billion Saudi Riyals (SAR at 3.75 per US$).

Al-Salem added that the total existing investments at JCPDI sum to about 88 billion SAR, though the city is still under construction. He revealed that an investment agreement was signed to establish a pasta production factory, in addition to signing a memorandum of understanding between the Royal Commission for Jubail and Yanbu and the Saudi Coffee Company, besides another memorandum of understanding between the Ministry of Investment and Hutchison Ports Jazan.

Industrial growth

His Excellency pointed out that the Port is one of the most critical enablers supporting JCPDI’s industrial growth. Al-Salem clarified that the Port consists, in its first phase, of three industrial berths, an SPM that provides services to Saudi Aramco Refinery, three commercial berths for handling containers including general cargo and bulk goods, in addition to storage yards with special areas for storing and monitoring refrigerated containers.

Ship-handling capacity

The RCJY president also revealed that the Port has a berth with a depth of 16.5 metres, which enables receiving modern fifth-generation ships with a capacity reaching more than 21,000 TEU, and that can also handle general cargo and bulk cargo ships with a capacity of more than 100,000 tons per ship. The Port has a total berth length of 1250metres for containers, bulk and general cargo, with a design capacity of one million TEU per year and around four million tons of cargo, in addition to a liquid terminal for oil tankers of Saudi Aramco.

Furthermore, HE the Minister of Industry and Mineral Resources, Bandar Al-

Khorayef, stressed that Jazan region is capable of attracting investments and of achieving the goals of the Saudi Vision 2030 in the sectors of industry, tourism, and entertainment.

His Excellency stated that the ports are the cornerstone of any industrial development and that JCPDI Port will be a key driver of the logistics services in the Kingdom and the Middle East, due to its strategic location as the port sits on a global trade corridor.

Eric Ip, Group Managing Director of Hutchison Ports, said; ‘We have been in Saudi Arabia for 22 years, and it is a very important market for Hutchison Ports.

‘The inauguration ceremony marks a new chapter for us in the Kingdom and we look forward to working closely with the Royal Commission to make Hutchison Ports Jazan a success and help JCPDI reach its full potential and contribute to the Saudi Vision 2030.’

*See also www.rcjy.gov.sa/en-us/jazan/Pages/default.aspx

Picture  caption:

Mr Andy Tsoi (second from left), Managing Director of Hutchison Ports, Middle East and Africa and The Royal Commission in Jubail and Yanbu.