[040711.EN.SEA] Jeddah Greets 14,100-TEU CSCL Star On Maiden Call At Red Sea Gateway

SAUDI ARABIA's newly opened Red Sea Gateway Terminal (RSGT) at Jeddah has docked the 14,100 CSCL Star on its first Red Sea call.

Built by Samsung Heavy Industries, and delivered in January 2011, the CSCL Star is 366 metres long and 51.2 metres abeam, accommodating 20 rows of containers, reports AMEinfo.com, a Mideast financial portal.
The 150,853-ton ship has a draught of 14.5 metres, making CSCL Star the largest container vessel ever to call at Jeddah, said the report.

Said RSGT CEO Aamer Alireza: "The ability of our terminal to handle the larger, latest generation container vessels deployed on the Asia-Europe trades, has helped strengthen Jeddah's position not just as a gateway for Saudi cargo, but also as a transhipment centre serving other Red Sea and East Africa markets."

In 2010, mostly because of RSGT's increased capacity, the Jeddah handled 3.9 million TEU, up 24 per cent against three million TEU in 2009. Transshipment carried out in Jeddah jumped by more than 40 per cent in 2010. As a result, Jeddah overtook Salalah to become the Middle East's second busiest container port after Dubai.

A further increase is likely this year, with Jeddah handling over 867,000 TEU in the first three months of 2011, a seven per cent year-on- year increase, said the report, also noting that volume at RSGT reached one million TEU in June.

"As trade demands increase, with it is a need for more efficient ports. And as global shipping turns to the economies of scale to drive costs down, terminal and port operators will in turn need to invest in increased capacity and new infrastructure, as well as improved and more efficient operational solutions," said Mr Alireza.

Saudi Arabia is undergoing multi-billion dollar infrastructure projects including US$400 billion to be spent in the five years to 2013, and over $130 billion to be spent on social and infrastructure projects.

Source : HKSG, 02.07.11.